Otherworld 1: Otherworld
by Otherworld's Resurrection
Summary: Princess Aara binds her males to protect Otherworld's borders at the request of her older sisters. Kurama is seriously injured in demon world and desperately takes a portal not knowing it's destination to escape. He ends up in human world at Kaoru's dojo. Cared for by Kenshin and the others he is also visited nightly by Otherworld's males &protectors who tell Otherworld's stories.
1. Chapter 1: The first meeting

**CHAPTER 1: The first meeting**

He didn't even sense the demon before it attacked. It's piercing claws seemed to come from nowhere and raked him open from his shoulder to stomach. Blood poured out of terrible wounds and if he had been a human, he would have died instantly. His demon body keeping him alive, but barely. Waves of dizziness and agonizing pain rushed his senses which prevented him from concentrating enough to use his own power against the demon. The darkness would not hide him from the demon now that his blood had filled the air. He could hear it coming towards him fast as he made his way into the forest, knowing he could not elude the beast in there, but trying to give himself time. Branches clawed at his face and arms as he stumbled blindly through the trees. Then he felt it, a portal! Changing directions, he went toward it. There it was! But where did it go to? He hesitated only a second. There was nothing here for him but death. He went through it, feeling the strange pull of the portal, and then stepping out of the other side after a few moments. He looked around, recognizing nothing. "Where am I?" was his last thought before he slipping to his knees, his strength gone and peaceful blackness took him as he passed out.

 **Tokyo, 1878**

It was late at night when Sanosuke walked to the dojo, his gambling luck having failed him yet again. He spotted something that looked like a bundle of rags on the side of the road, near the meadow that Kaoru loved, the one filled with twinkling fireflies. As Sanosuke approached the bundle, he realized with a start that it was a man's body, bloody and torn. He knelt down by the body, looking at the terrible wounds. "What could have done this? This was not done by a sword…" he mused as he touched the body. It was still warm! He searched for a pulse and found it, faint under his fingers. "He's alive!" He stood up, the man cradled in his arms. Kaoru's dojo was near.

Kenshin heard the banging and rushed to open the door. Sanosuke stood there, holding the bloody body of a young man.

"Have Yahiko get Miss Megumi! Hurry!"

"Huh?" Was Kenshin's soft reply. Miss Megumi? Was this man alive?

Sanosuke carried the man into the dojo, setting him gently on the floor.

"I'm not sure what got him. It looks like some kind of an animal. I can't believe he's alive." The words spilled out in a rush.

Kaoru joined them and cried out when she saw the ghastly wounds.

"Please boil some water, Miss Kaoru." Kenshin requested. She nodded and quickly left the room.

Kenshin went to the cabinet and got out clean cloths. Tenderly removing the scraps of clothes from the boy's chest and shoulder and pressing the cloths into the wounds, trying to stop the bleeding. "This happened not so long ago. He bleeds freely still." He examined the gashes, "What kind of animal could do this? These are claws marks, but huge. Much larger than a tiger or a bear."

Sanosuke brought two lamps over to the area. From the many prior injuries that he and Kenshin had experienced, he knew that Miss Megume would need light. Then he went to the kitchen to help Kaoru bring in the boiling water. When he returned, carrying a huge steaming bowl of water, the tall brunette doctor was already there, bending over her new patient. "How is he alive?" Megume thought, "He should be dead. The blood loss alone should have killed him." But even a patient at death's door is a patient, and her hands began their work. With Kenshin's help, she removed his clothing, most of it already in tatters. They carefully washed the wounds so Megume could see them clearly. With a heavy sigh, she began to sew the battered body together. His intestines were torn in pieces – she sewed two pieces together and watched in amazement as they fused together and began to heal on their own. What was this man that he could heal himself? All night long Megume sewed and sewed, stitching together the torn flesh of her patient. Each time she stitched a part together, the bleeding would stop and the flesh would start to heal on its own. Finally, just as the rays of dawn appeared over the dojo, she finished. She was exhausted. She looked at her patient, wrapped in bandages and sleeping deeply.

He looked so young, with his long red hair spread beneath him. Fair features, although now they were marred by chalk white skin from the massive blood loss and deep dark circles under his closed eyes. And those eyes! When she had lifted one of his lids to check the pupil, she gasped when she saw the emerald there. She had thought that Kenshin had beautiful amethysts-colored eyes, but this young man rivaled him with those emerald orbs.

Throughout the day, they would stop to check on the sleeping young man. Kenshin would stop his laundry to check him. Sanosuke, who felt very protective since he had found their patient, looked in often. Miss Megume had gone to her home to get some much needed rest, with the promise that she would be sent for if needed. Kaoru and Yahiko also looked in on him. There was never any change. Not even a moan came from him. Just deep, healing sleep. Night fell and the dojo was quiet. They had decided to keep watch over the man, worried that he might take a turn for the worst while they slept. Miss Megume had stopped by in the late afternoon to check him and change his bandages. There seemed to be nothing any of them could do except wait.

Kenshin walked quietly to the room where the man slept and suddenly felt the presence of another person. His hand automatically went to his katana and thumbed the hilt open. He slid out the blade in total silence and opened the door. There in the darkness, he saw the outline of someone next to their patient.

"Who are you! What do you want!"

"I'm not here to hurt you." came a quiet voice from the darkness, "He is my friend and you helped him. I am here to watch over him."

Kenshin went closer and lit one of the lamps that was next to the patient. Sitting at the edge of the light was a boy dressed in black holding a katana. As more light found him, Kenshin realized that this was not a boy, but a small man. Then he saw the deep blood-red eyes. "Who are you?"

"I am Hiei," the small man replied, "and he is named Kurama. We are grateful that you helped him. We have been looking for him for days. I found his blood and the beast that did this to him. That beast is in hell, now! But we couldn't find Kurama. It took me quite a while to sense the portal that he used to come here to the Human World and this time period." Kenshin stared at the little man. What was he saying? Human World? Suddenly Sanosuke, Yahiko and Kaoru arrived, having heard the voices. Kenshin gave them the names of the two men, then asked for an explanation from Hiei. Hiei sighed, he did not like interacting with humans, usually leaving that task that to the affable Kurama. "Kurama and I live in Otherworld." His audience just stared at him.

"Damn!" thought Hiei. How was he going to explain Otherworld?


	2. Chapter 2: Youko Kurama

**CHAPTER 2: Youko Kurama**

 **Otherworld, 150 Years Ago**

Otherworld was a land that stood between the four worlds, a land where time passed at its own pace. It was beautiful with rolling hills, blue skies, and majestic peaks topped with snow. It was also filled with danger and death. Surrounded on all sides by the four worlds: Human, Demon, Spirit and the Four Gods World, it alone kept the boundaries between the worlds separate. But it's boundaries were within and therefore offered Otherworld itself no protection. A demon could freely cross into Otherworld, but could not easily go into any of the other three worlds. Sometimes they found a portal or a path to the Human World (the most vulnerable of the worlds), but those were rare since only the most powerful mages could create portals.

For that reason, Otherworld's denizens were often beset with attacks from demons. Considered lower on the food chain, Otherworld's human residents were considered food by the demons that crossed from Demon World. So the people of Otherworld were given a gift. Five young women with the ability to emotionally bind demon males to themselves. In turn, these bound males would use their powers to protect Otherworld. The people did not know where the women came from, but they were indebted to them. No longer were they merely food for powerful demons; now even more powerful demons were protecting them, bound forever to one of the women. The people gave the title of Princess to each of the five women. Four of them were in charge of the boundaries; one for each boundary of Otherworld and the boundaries between the worlds. The youngest was in charge of protecting Otherworld itself. Her name was Aara. Like her sisters, she didn't know how she came to be. She just knew she had been created to protect this land. She was a part of the land, heart and soul and she would protect it with every part of her being. She just needed to bind her first male.

Two tall demons walked into her hall late one evening. They were dragging a wriggling sack behind them. Princess Aara looked at them and the bundle behind them. She knew who they were, demon males that were bound to her oldest sister, Arina.

"A present from your sister," Kaleffe, the first male, said. "Your sister believes it is time for you bind your first male. Please lead us to his room."

Silently she lead them up the stairs and to the first room to the right of her own. The males dragged the squirming bundle up the stairs and into the bedroom. Then they opened the cloth sack and dumped him out onto the bed. He was naked, panting and moaning. She looked at Kaleffe for an explanation.

"This is a kitsune, a fox Demon, and possibly the most powerful one of them all. His name is Youko Kurama."

She looked at the writhing, miserable Demon. His eyes opened and he looked at her with large golden eyes that were glazed. "What is wrong with him?""

He is in heat," Radiach replied, "The only way we could capture him was to catch him when he went into heat. Otherwise, we could never have gotten near him. Bind him, Princess, and bind him tight. He is a very powerful Youkai." Then they turned and left without another word.

Aara stood there looking at him. He was beautiful, with long white hair spread across the bed. He was very tall, about six foot five, sleek and silvery. He also had a long white tail and large fox ears. She sat on the bed next to him and could feel the heat of his body, it felt like he was on fire! He suddenly moved to her, grabbing her arms and pulling her down. A kitsune in heat was a creature consumed by his need. She struggled out of her dress while he nuzzled and rubbed against her with his face, making little keening sounds. The second she got her dress off, he pounced, swiftly moving her beneath him and covering her body with his own. The heat radiated off him in waves. He wasted no time with foreplay. Who knew how long he had been like this. Days? Weeks? When had Kaleffe and Radiach captured him? It would take days to get from Demon World to here. He pushed her legs apart and pushed himself into her, moaning deeply as he entered. She used her power to bind him while he moved within her, and when he released into her, she bound him even tighter. All through the night, the same scenario repeated itself.

As the first rays of sunlight crossed the bed, he woke. She was watching him, waiting for him to wake. He looked at her with cold eyes. There was no friendliness in that gaze. She wondered if she had bound him correctly and reached to touch his arm. His stare did not change. She ran her fingers lightly down his arm and he moved with her touch. His gaze was now warm and loving. Ah! Sex would be her control over him.

She reached up to touch one of his large fox ears. They were velvet silver fur.

"The lower edge," he whispered hoarsely.

She complied, rubbing the edge at the base of his ears. He pressed his lips to hers, kissing and licking. A little growl came from his throat. With other hand, she stroked his hip and he guided her hand to under his tail. He flicked it out of the way and she stroked from under his tail down the curve of his butt. The heat began to radiate from him again and he pressed closer to her. She smiled, enjoying the incredible control she had.

As days passed, Youko Kurama was lost in a sea of need. All the Princess had to do was touch him and he ached for her. Damn heat! He had been such easy prey! He had always guarded himself well when he went into heat, choosing a female, or male, it didn't matter to him when he was in heat and taking them into his den where he could safely release his heat. This time he had chosen wrong. The Demon was as beautiful and as sensual as he was. He had followed him into his den and then without warning pounced on him, calling for another demon to help. Together, they overpowered him, and he was stuffed unceremoniously into a sack and thrown over a horse. He tried to summon his power but his heat kept his mind in a jumble of need and want. He was helpless. For many terrible days he was carried over a horse, growing more and more feverish. By the second day, he was moaning constantly. "Please…" he keep repeating. He thought he would go insane from the need.

…..And then they dumped him on a bed, naked, with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had long red hair with golden eyes and a slender body. All he wanted to do was take her, over and over. He could feel her mind and her emotions, all around him, like ribbons of velvet. Later he would realize that the feeling was her power as she was binding him to her.

His room was lavish with rich golden fabrics of velvet, silk and satin, and the furniture was inviting and comfortable. Open doors led to a balcony overlooking beautiful gardens. It was a paradise with chains, emotional chains that he would never break. He, who had always been so free, was now trapped forever. He went to the balcony, changed to his full fox demon form and jumped off, running through the gardens. It felt good just to run free. After spending the entire day running through the gardens and then out into the surrounding hills, he returned. No one was sent after him for they knew he would return. He would always return. He was sitting there on the thick rug in his room, still in his fox form, watching the fire in the hearth, when he heard her come into the room.

She sat down next to him, "Don't change," she whispered. She ran her hands down his entire back over his soft velvet pelt. He thought his mind would explode. With her hands, she explored every part of him: his four furry tails, his paws, his deep chest, the sensitive whiskers on his muzzle, the soft fur on his under-belly. He keened and writhed under her touch. She rubbed his ears, both of them! and he whined. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face into his soft, furry coat.

"You are so beautiful, My Love," she purred to him.

He couldn't stand it anymore and changed back into his human form, taking her in his arms, kissing, licking, nuzzling, anything he could do just to touch her. His skin felt like it was on fire and he ached for her touch.

"My Love," she murmured in his ear, "You are mine, Youko Kurama. And I am yours."

He stared at her. His?

"The binding works both ways. I am bound to you as much as you are bound to me."

He smiled for the first time since he arrived. His chains were also her chains. Perhaps captivity would not be so bad after all.

As the years passed, Youko Kurama no longer felt like a captive. This was now his home. He used his contacts to forge alliances and friendships with powerful demons he knew from his past. He was over a thousand years old and the Demons that he didn't know personally, had at least heard of him. He used his power over plants around the castle, growing an impenetrable wall of thorns to fortify the walls of the castle, adding sentry plants along the top of it, and planting tall watch plants on the hills surrounding the castle. Youko Kurama was content, happy in his home with his arms wrapped around his Princess.


	3. Chapter 3: Bankotsu

**CHAPTER 3: Bankotsu**

 **Toyko 1878**

Hiei told the story of Otherworld and his Princess to a rapt audience. Kenshin looked down at the sleeping young man – he was over a thousand years old!

"Wait! You said he had silver hair and golden eyes. He has neither. He has red hair, redder even than my own. And his eyes are green."

"Hn." the little fire Demon squirmed uncomfortably; he had already told them too much. The group all looked at him but he said no more. They had already talked a good portion of the night away and after several attempts trying to make the stubborn Demon continue the story, they gave up and one by one left for their bedrooms. As Kenshin left, he saw Hiei resume his place, sword at the ready, next to Kurama.

Everyone was up early the next morning, but Hiei had already left. Kurama lay sleeping as usual. Megume came to change his bandages and Kaoru told her about the small Demon and the story that they had heard last night. Megume was fascinated. She had heard tales of demons and dragons, of course, but to actually meet one! The day went by slowly, filled with their usual chores. Kenshin doing the laundry and making the meals, since he was so much better than Kaoru at cooking. He enjoyed doing the simple chores. They were soothing to his mind.

Sometimes it was hard to remember that his teen years were spent as a deadly assassin for the Imperialist regime, until you watched him fight. Then there was no doubt of his skill with the katana. The small red-haired man with the cross-shaped scar on his cheek had refused to kill anyone for 10 years now, using only a reverse-blade sword that could not cut. His atonement for the many deaths he caused during the war.

Kaoru checked on their sleeping guest. She knelt by his side carrying a cup of water. Letting drops fall from her slender fingers, she gave Kurama water through his slightly parted lips. He was beginning to look better, not as white, and the bruises under his eyes were fading. Kenshin joined her and helped her change the bedding. He was so slender that he weighed only a little more than the diminutive Kenshin himself, although he was taller by 6 or 7 inches.

"I can't believe he is a Demon." said Kaoru, gently touching his soft face. "He looks almost feminine."

"That he does." Kenshin agreed.

The fingers were long and slender, the body soft with no visible muscle tone, and the red hair was wild waves and curls. And the color of that hair! Unlike his own which was dark auburn, Kurama's was a vivid red poppy color. A color he had never seen before on anyone. It was hard to believe that this gentle looking man was a powerful Demon?

Now, he could believe it of Hiei. Hiei had blood-red eyes and when he talked, a hint of fangs showed. He was small, shorter even than Kenshin, but his body was well-built and strong looking. His muscles well-defined. His forehead was covered with a white strip of material and his right arm was bandaged tightly. His black hair had the outline of a white star over his forehead. He did not look human like Kurama did. Although they passed the day as usual, each of them was waiting for dusk, waiting for the time when another guardian would come from Otherworld to keep watch over Kurama. Perhaps this one would be more talkative than the recalcitrant Hiei.

Almost the minute the sun went down and the sky turned dark gray, a knock sounded on the outer door of the dojo. Sanosuke rushed to open the door. Outside stood a young man carrying what seemed to be a very large oar covered in purple cloth.

"I am here to watch over Kurama." he said, jauntily walking into the dojo.

The others went out to meet their new guest. He was average height, not quite as tall as Sanosuke, with dark hair braided down his back to his knees. He had large dark blue eyes and the marking of a strange four-pointed star on his forehead. "I'm Bankotsu, the fourth male of Princess Aara," he said proudly.

Kaoru took him to where Kurama was with the others following close behind. Bankotsu set the device he was carrying on the floor and knelt next to Kurama, gently touching his friend's forehead.

"He seems to be resting okay."

"He has been sleeping ever since Miss Megume, our doctor friend, stitched up his wounds."

"Well, he seems to be healing." he smiled suddenly, turning toward the group now gathered behind him, "Got any sake?"

Sanosuke laughed. This one was certainly more fun than Hiei. Kenshin went to warm sake for them and Bankotsu made himself comfortable on the porch, the purple-covered device at his side.

"What is that?" Sanosuke asked, intrigued.

"This? This is my Banyruu." He picked it up by the long handle and uncovered it. It was a halberd larger than the length and width of a grown man! Sanosuke gasped when he saw it. How much did that thing weigh? Bankotsu was holding it as if it weighed little more than a feather.

At that moment Kenshin came with the sake and almost dropped everything. That thing was a sword? He had never seen anything like it. Sanosuke used to have a Zanbattou, a very large sword that Kenshin broke during their first fight – before they became fast friends. But that was small compared to this monster.

"Can I try it out?" pleaded Sanosuke, remembering his Zanbattou.

"Sure!" and Bankotsu set it on the side of the porch.

Sanosuke took it by the handle and couldn't lift it at all. And he was a strong man! Very strong, but he couldn't even make the thing move an inch. He tried again, turning red from the strain and managed to lift it a few inches. He gave up, groaning.

"Well, I guess not," Bankotsu said, picking it up again. He walked to the center of the dojo yard and began twirling over his head as if it weighed nothing. Sanosuke slumped down on the porch, depressed beyond belief.

"I thought I was strong." he moaned.

"You probably are for a human! But I'm a demon." Bankotsu told him.

"You don't look like a demon," Kaoru said, looking him over carefully for fangs or claws.

"I look pretty much like a human, I know. But I am a Thunder Demon! I can call lightning from the sky. I'd show you but lightning has a mind of its own and you never know where it will strike." Humility was obviously not one of this demon's virtues!

And through the evening and over many cups of sake, the friendly, happy demon named Bankotsu, who could call down lightning, told them the story of how Youko Kurama became human.


	4. Chapter 4: How Youko Kurama became human

**Chapter 4: How Youko Kurama Became Human**

 **Otherworld, 19 Years Ago**

Before Youko Kurama became the first male of the Princess, he was a thief. He loved the thrill mostly, and the baubles he stole were a bonus. He loved the planning, the conquest, the thrill of the chase. His heart was that of a mischievous daring fox and he lived up to his name. His existence was free. Free to take, free to love whomever he wished, free to live where he wanted. He had given up a lot when he became the Princess' male, but he felt the exchange was equitable.

Besides after Kuronue died ... Kuronue was a bat Demon. You wouldn't think a bat Demon could be handsome but he was. He had been Youko Kurama's partner in crime, his best friend, and occasionally his lover, until that fateful night when a robbery went terribly wrong and Kuronue had died that terrible death. It should have been an easy score, a quick entry into an unguarded manor in Otherworld, on the edge of the Demon World, gather the spoils, and a quick escape. At the beginning, everything seemed to be going to plan. It was so easy perhaps too easy. It was during their escape, that the pair of thieves realized it had been a trap all along. Armed guards and dogs appeared almost out of thin air and the chase was on. Both Demons ran quickly away, easily outdistancing the men, but then the chain on Kuronue's amulet snapped and he turned back to retrieve it. His protection amulet, given to him by his mother many, many years ago.

"No! Don't go back!" Youko cried.

"I have to! I cannot lose that amulet!"

Just as Kuronue's fingers wrapped around his amulet, bamboo spears filled the air and one of them went through Kuronue's leg, severing a main artery. Instantly he was surrounded by the guards. He bled out while Youko Kurama fled to safety, forced to leave his best friend behind to die.

It was no longer fun. So when the Princess bound him, although he would never admit it out loud, he was almost glad. He was tired of running and hiding, of having no home, of the constant danger. So now he had a peaceful life, under the protection of the Princess. All bounties on his head had been cancelled and he was truly free.

It happened during one of his forays into Demon World. A spirit hunter went after him! Spirit hunters were deadly assassins of Demon World. Youko Kurama didn't know why the assassin was after him all the bounties on his head had been cancelled many years ago. Maybe it was a revenge contract. His rose whip had failed, and he was bleeding from several places, his blood leaving an obvious trail. The Princess was always teasing him about getting hurt, but he had never worried about it since he healed so easily. But now!

The spirit hunter had hell hounds with him to track and corner the Fox demon. He had to get away! He changed to his fox shape, since that form was faster and stronger and he ran as hard as he could. But the hell hounds were close behind, and the spirit hunter right behind them. Without warning he felt a stab of pain in his heart. A spirit bullet, especially created to kill a Youkai, a demon, had pierced him. He felt his spirit leaving his fox body. **NO!**

His broken body left behind, his spirit fled. The spirit hunter followed him. His spirit went through the barriers between the worlds, and the spirit hunter could not follow since he was still corporeal. Youko Kurama found himself floating in the Human World and standing below him was a young woman. A pregnant young woman. He made the decision in an instant and went into the unborn child's body, displacing the soul that was already there. Let it find another body he needed this one!

Six months later, Shiori Minamino became a single mother and gave birth to a son, whom she named Shuichi. A beautiful red-haired, green-eyed son. He was a quiet baby, learning to walk and talk at a remarkably early age. He never cried and never got sick, but he also never seemed to need holding. He never reached for his mother. But that didn't matter to Shiori. She loved her son with all her heart, and slowly through the years, the child who was really a cold-hearted fox Demon learned to love her back.

Princess Aara knew that her beloved fox was hurt and then she felt him die. But she also felt his spirit fleeing whatever what chasing him. She had felt the fear and the pain through the bond they had. Then it disappeared. She knew that his spirit had not ended, she would have felt that. It could only mean one thing. He had passed through one of the boundaries. He had been in Demon World and if he had come in Otherworld, she would have felt him instantly. The Four Gods World was too far away and a portal to that world would not be a welcoming one, so he had to have gone to the Human World.

It took her many years to find him, now born as a human. Koenma, son of the ruler of Spirit World helped her, and finally, he was found. She sent Hiei to the Human World and Hiei watched him from a tree, hidden by its branches. Youko Kurama was now just a young boy. A human boy!

Hiei reported back and through the years, Shuichi was watched. On the day he turned 14, Hiei appeared at his bedroom window. Shuichi opened the window to his old friend.

"Am I finally old enough?" he asked.

"Yes," Hiei replied. "The Princess is waiting for you."

So Shuichi broke his mother's heart when he told her the truth and that he was leaving. But he promised to return often and she hugged him hard and then let him go. In her heart, she had always known that there was something very different about her son.

It had been nearly fifteen years since he walked in the lands of Otherworld and the halls of the Castle. For the first time in his life, he was nervous. The Princess had bound a tall beautiful fox demon to her and now he was just a teenage boy. He had not been able to tap into the powers that he had when he was Youko Kurama. He could make plants grow faster, but little else.

Hiei was at his side, "You look like a girl." the little demon muttered.

"I know. I think the baby I went into was supposed to be a girl and although my spirit changed it to a boy, the body still remained very feminine. I have been mistaken for a girl in the Human World."

"Hn." the fire Demon said no more. And Shuichi became even more nervous. The Princess would never accept him the way he was!

He was brought to the sitting room, not even her bedchambers! Hiei opened the door, but did not go through it. "She is waiting." Then Hiei turned and left Shuichi standing at the open door. He took a deep breath and walked in the room. She was sitting there, more beautiful than ever. She looked at him, her face unreadable, "I guess I cannot call you Youko Kurama anymore."

"No." he said, his heart sinking.

"Then I will call you Kurama instead."

She saw his look of surprise.

"Silly fox! Do you think I could stop loving you? You are, and always will be, my first male, my first love." She beckoned him to her. "Don't ever leave me again, Kurama! My heart has been incomplete without you."

He rushed into her waiting arms, knelt in front of her, and wrapped his arms tight around her, his face turned up to her as she covered it with kisses. His heart filled with love and contentment. Kurama was home at last.


	5. Chapter 5: Hiei

**Chapter 5 - Hiei**

 **Otherworld, Present Time**

"Not again!" Princess Aara cried. She would not lose Kurama again! The years spent trying to find her beloved kitsune after his spirit fled to the Human World was agony for her. She would not take a chance. She would be at his side this time. She ordered the servants to ready her traveling clothes and saddle horses.

"No! You cannot go!" Bankotsu protested, wrapping his arms around her, "It is too dangerous! It is more than two days' journey to the portal and we cannot risk you. Not with Naraku on the loose. That Demon would love to get his hands on you!"

"I agree. You cannot leave the safety of the Castle." Hiei flatly stated. "Kurama is getting care and is sleeping, recovering his strength and healing himself. In a few days time we can bring him back home."

She gave up. Deep in her heart, she knew they were right. Naraku was too dangerous to risk being captured by that monster. In her place she sent Bankotsu to the portal to be the next guardian. Her third male was on his way to the portal also, two days away. She was alone with Hiei. But the thought of Kurama so badly wounded, almost getting killed again, was agony for her. Once again, she was not there for him when he needed her the most. She paced the room alternately angry because she could not go to him and filled with sorrow because he was hurt once more. Her emotions flared throughout the castle's walls. Hiei, who had been standing next to her, suddenly cried out in pain and flung himself into a corner, curling into a tight ball. Her emotions, magnified hundredfold by her power, assaulted him. He tried to shut them out to no avail. He was being bombarded by surging emotion, wave upon wave: first anger, then sorrow. He moaned in agony.

From the corner of her eye, she saw him. "Hiei! What was wrong? She hurried to him and saw him curl into an even tighter ball. She suddenly realized that she was the cause of his pain. Her emotions were out of control. She stood very still and began to reign in her power. She could feel it pouring out of her in wild spikes. She took a deep breath and slowly sealed her power back inside. When she was calm and sure of herself, she went to Hiei, sitting on the floor next to the curled up Fire Demon. She pulled him into her lap.

"Hiei, Hiei," she murmured softly, "I'm sorry. Forgive me."

He opened his eyes to look up at her, his arms going around her waist to hold her, relieved that it was finally over. "It's alright."

"No, it isn't! I hurt you!" she kissed his cheek gently, "I am so sorry." She let flow the emotion of comfort and could feel him begin to relax and begin to drift to sleep now that her power was not assaulting him, but helping him. He was exhausted! Three days of looking for Kurama, following by an all-night watch, the long trip here and then to be pummeled by his Princess! "My Sweetness."

Hiei was falling in the quiet oblivion of sleep when he heard the appellation she always used for him: "Her Sweetness." A small smile tugged at his lips.

 **Otherworld, 50 Years Ago**

It was Youko Kurama who found Hiei. He was traveling through Demon World on his way to see his old friend, Yomi. Yomi was now one of the four rulers of Demon World, ruler of the Southern Lands. The other three were Mukuro in the East, Raizen in the North, and Inutaishou in the West. Otherworld had alliances with the North and the West, and Youko Kurama was going to try to make an alliance for Otherworld with his former partner-in-crime. But to get there, he had to go deep into Demon World. He went through the Western Lands without mishap because of the alliance with Inutaishou, but now he was approaching the Southern Lands of Yomi. There was no alliance yet and he was on the alert.

Suddenly, he sensed a Demon and barely moved in time to avoid a slashing sword. He looked around for the Demon and saw no one. His power flared out, searching for him. Ah! there he was, in the tree. Youko Kurama looked up and saw a child standing on a slender branch of a tall tree. What?!

"If you want to fight me, I'll be glad to oblige," said the fox. He reached under his long silver hair to the nape of his neck and pulled out a seed which he had braided there. His power flared and the seed became a red rose.

The small Demon almost fell from his perch. "You are going to fight me with a rose?" he sneered. And leapt down to confront this silly fox Demon face-to-face.

Youko Kurama looked at the short Demon and realized he was not a child, but he was very young – or at least he looked young. He was very short, just a little over 5 feet. Nearly a foot and a half shorter than the very tall fox Demon. He had large blood-red eyes and a turned-up nose which made him seem even more childlike. He was dressed in rags with a torn blanket thrown over him as a cloak. But his demeanor was anything but childlike. The little Demon looked at the fox angrily. The stupid fox had tramped through trees just as he was about to pounce on a rabbit, his dinner and had scared it off. He was famished! There was not much food here in the harsh lands of Demon World. He brandished his sword. A rose! Feh!

Youko Kurama smiled. Another one who had underestimated him. He poured more power into the single red rose he held and the petals fell in a red shower as the rose turned into a thorny whip. A whip that could cut through steel! The smaller Demon's eyes grew wide at the sight of the whip. Suddenly, he remembered the stories around the campfires when he was a child, stories about a powerful Fox Demon who wielded a terrible rose whip. A strange smile was on the fox's face, glee! This one liked to fight! His pride gave him no choice but to attack. He had started this whole mess and now he was going to finish it. His speed was incredible but it barely kept the whip from tearing his flesh. He could not get near the Fox Demon, that whip seemed to be everywhere. He was a blur, desperately trying to get close enough to use his sword. But he was already tired from hunting all day and weak from his long fast. Suddenly, the whip found him and wrapped him tight, head to toe, and although the thorns pressed against him, they did not pierce his body. He was brought to the fox, suspended in mid-air.

"Well, little Demon." the fox chortled, "Looks like I caught a mouse."

The captive growled, "I am not a mouse! I am a Fire Demon!"

"Fire? What fire? I see no fire," Youko Kurama teased.

The Fire Demon squirmed violently, waves of hot anger radiating off him. Youko Kurama suddenly felt sorry for him, he was so angry yet so helpless. Just a tiny thing. "Ah, Princess!," he thought, "You have made me soft. Now I am feeling pity for this creature!"

He lower the Fire Demon to the ground, but kept the whip wrapped tightly around him. "Let's call a truce. Accompany me to the Southern Hall where Yomi lives. I have a meeting with him and then I will return to Otherworld. Perhaps I can find you some employment in Otherworld so you won't starve in this inhospitable land."

"Why should I want to do that?" he asked, furious at being caught so easily. Damn fox!

"Well, I have food. Plenty of food, right here in my pack," pointing to the pack hanging over his shoulder. The little Demon salivated, his hunger taking over. Oh, he was so hungry!

Youko Kurama looked around. "Ah, there is a little clearing. And it is late afternoon, good time to set up camp." he walked to the clearing, with the thorny whip that was still holding the Demon following like a faithful dog.

He built a fire and then rummaged through his pack. Ummm, fresh meat would be better. Now, where did that rabbit go? Leaving the fire Demon still suspended by his whip, he changed into his full Demon fox form and bounded away.

In a very short time he was back, carrying a plump rabbit in his jaws. He returned to his human form and began to prepare a stew in the small cooking pot that he carried in his pack. Reaching into a hidden pocket in his clothing, he pulled out a little pouch filled with seeds. He selected several seeds: potato, carrot, celery, thyme, and other seasonings, and pushed them into the ground, then touched the ground with his hand. Instantly the plants grew to ripe vegetables. He picked them, used his sharp claws to cut them up, and threw them into the stew. The aroma was wonderful.

"Last chance." Youko Kurama said to the bound Demon. "What do you say? Partners?"

The little Demon gave up, he was so hungry and maybe this miserable fox was not so bad after all. He had also heard wonderful things about Otherworld. He nodded and the whip released him and disappeared. The fox was spooning stew into two wooden bowls and handed one to the little Demon. "Got a name?" he asked.

"Hiei" he said between mouthfuls. The fox gave him another serving and he hungrily devoured every bit.

Youko Kurama rummaged through his pack and came up with a tiny object wrapped in a silvery paper. He handed it to Hiei. "What is this?" he asked as he carefully examined the item.

"It a piece of chocolate. It comes from the Human World. They call it a "kiss" there. Unwrap the foil and try it."

Hiei carefully unwrapped the silver paper and found a little piece of brown...well, he had no word for it. He had never seen anything like this. He sniffed it cautiously and finally touched it lightly with his tongue. It was wonderful! He shoved it in his mouth. He had never tasted anything like it.

"I thought you might like it." the fox said, "Now, let's get some sleep. I will put out some sentry plants and if anyone approaches, the plants will warn us."

"You trust me?" Hiei asked surprised.

"You gave me your word, didn't you?"

Hiei nodded. He was not used to being trusted. Actually it was rare when anyone even talked to him. He watched as the fox made himself a bed of soft plants and then settled down to sleep. Hiei would not sleep on the ground in the open like that, so he leapt into a nearby tree, with his back against the trunk and his legs stretched out on the wide branch. His eyes began to close with sleep. For the first time in his life he felt content. His stomach was full and he had met someone who might even become a friend.

Youko Kurama and Hiei did indeed become friends during their trip to see Yomi and back to Otherworld. He told Hiei about the Princess and how she was in charge of protecting Otherworld and he was helping her with that. Hiei listened intently, but offered no information about himself in return. Youko Kurama respected the Fire Demon and did not pry. He wanted Hiei help him with the protection of the Castle and maybe go with him on some of his journeys through Otherworld and into Demon World. It would be nice to have a traveling companion. The Princess had several other Demons to help protect the land, but Youko Kurama was the only one she had bound to her.

There were two mages, one who worked in magic and the other a healer, who offered their help but asked not to be bound. They were afraid that if the Princess bound them, she might also bind part of their power. So they offered their word instead of their bodies and the Princess accepted their offer. Now, they lived in the towers of the castle, seldom seen, quietly working their powerful magic. There was also Kouga, the leader of the Wolf Demons. His wolves and men roamed all over Otherworld, guarding its people from lower class Demons. He hoped that the Princess would allow him to make Hiei a Protector like them.

As the towers of the Castle appeared over the hills, Youko Kurama could sense that Hiei was getting nervous. Although he had never said anything, Youko Kurama sensed that he had lived alone most, if not all, of his life. And now he was being thrust into a castle full of people. He was afraid that the little Demon would bolt and never been seen again. He began to fill the empty space with happy chatter, trying to keep the Demon's mind off of his fears and worries. Together they walked through the gates and into the Castle. Servants took his pack and Youko Kurama asked them to prepare a room for Hiei. A few minutes later, he walked Hiei to his new room and told him to rest until dinner. He was going to find the Princess. It had been weeks since he had last seen his Princess and he missed her terribly.

Hiei looked around the room. He had never seen anything like this room. For most of his life, he had lived outdoors, a strong tree his only roof. When he was a child, he lived for a time with bandits and they lived in dark, dank caves. Hiei walked through the room, touching the rich material of the chairs and drapes. He sat in the chairs, enveloped in their velvet comfort. He went into the bedchamber and gasped when he saw the huge bed. He took a standing jump and landed in the middle of the bed. It was so soft! It was wonderful! He wondered how long he would be able to stay in this room. From his spot in the middle of the bed, he noticed large doors with windows and went to them. They opened to a large balcony with beautiful gardens spread below and a large tree that he could easily leap to. It was so incredible – he never wanted to leave. But in his heart, he knew that he would be asked to leave.

All his life he had been abandoned, thrown away as a child after his forbidden birth to an Ice Maiden. Only a few days old and wrapped tight in warding cloths to contain his fire energy, his ki, which the Ice World feared, he was hurled from the Ice World that floated high in the sky to the ground far below. But he survived, discovered by a group of thieves, who allowed him to stay with them, but showed him no affection. And as he grew more proficient with his sword, they began to fear him and finally shut him out completely. He had been alone ever since. No one had ever been nice to him except for that silly fox. His only friend. But the Princess… when she saw him, she would order him out of the Castle and berate the fox for bringing such a thing into her home. And Youko Kurama, being bound to her, would do nothing.

"Ah, well, such is life," he sighed and went back to the soft, wonderful bed. He was lying there, enjoying the feel of the silk sheets and velvet covers, when a small knock sounded at his door. He opened it and a servant stood there.

"Lord Kurama said you would need some clothes." the servant handed him some folded clothes, bowed and left. Hiei looked at the clothes. They were all in his size. He undressed quickly and suddenly realized how dirty he was. He found a room with water that flowed into a large basin at the turn of a handle that attached to the wall. The basin was large enough to put your whole body into. He filled it with hot water and washed himself thoroughly with a scented soap that he found on the side of the basin. It felt so wonderful to be clean!

He padded back into the bedroom and checked out the clothes. He dressed in clean soft black trousers and a simple tunic. Among the clothes was a black cloak and he put that on too. Black boots completed the outfit. He had never had such nice clothes before. Using a brush that he found, he tried to tame his unruly hair that always insisted on sticking straight up in peaks. He finally tied a white sash around his forehead in a effort to at least keep it out of his eyes. A knock sounded at his door, and this time the servant told him dinner was served. Hiei followed her to the dining hall. In the large hall, there was a long table filled with delicious food and drink and lots of people, a mix of humans and Demons. Youko Kurama was sitting at one end and Hiei was ushered to a place at his side. Hiei looked around. Everyone was talking and laughing, obviously friends. Kurama began to quietly point out the people at the table, but Hiei quickly lost track of their names. Besides, why did he need to know their names? He would not be here very long.

His eyes roamed the table, finally coming to the other end. A young woman was seated there. She was so beautiful it took his breath away. The Princess. She was more like fire than he was, with flame-colored hair and golden eyes. He had never seen anyone so beautiful in his life. She did not seem haughty or proud like he had imagined, rather she laughed and talked just like everyone else. Hiei strained to hear her voice, but there was too much noise between them. He ate in silence but never took his eyes off the Princess. Youko Kurama noticed Hiei watching the Princess and was surprised. It had never occurred to him that the little Fire Demon would show any interest in the Princess. Perhaps there was a chance that he would stay and become one of the Protectors after all.

After dinner, Youko Kurama took Hiei to meet the Princess. Hiei was very nervous. He had wanted to stay away from her at least a few more days so he could enjoy his room and the wonderful food for a little more time. But now it would all end. He sighed unhappily. Youko Kurama heard the sigh and wondered what his new friend was thinking about, but as usual, Hiei showed no emotion on his face. He opened the large doors to a sitting room filled with comfortable chairs and a bright fire in the hearth. The Princess was sitting there in the center. Alone. She smiled at Kurama and nodded. He pushed Hiei forward.

"Kurama has told me a little about you. And how excellent you are with the sword. He would like you to be one of the Protectors of Otherworld. Would you like that?"

Hiei stood there, silent, trying to grasp the meaning of her words. She wasn't telling him to leave? He could stay? She watched the little Demon, who was unable to keep the surprise off his face. Curious as to why he was surprised, she reached out to touch him. Aara was instantly flooded with all the emotions that Hiei never allowed to show: pain, distrust, and unbelievable loneliness. It was overwhelming and she pulled him toward her, wrapping her arms around him. He stood there stiffly, not understanding why she was suddenly holding him.

"Oh, My Sweetness," she murmured, "I promise that you will never be alone again."

Then she brought forth her power, filling the space around her with love, comfort and belonging. And Hiei felt what he had never known in his life before: someone who wanted him. His arms went around her waist and he buried his head in her shoulder, and for the first time in his life, tears ran down his cheeks.

"My Sweet Love," she said softly, caressing his hair. He buried himself even deeper into her arms. She looked at Youko Kurama silently standing there and she smiled. "Umm, it looks like I will have a brother," he thought as he quietly left the room.

The Princess held the small man for a long time, letting the loneliness pour out of his heart and replacing it with love. She began to gently kiss his forehead and the tracks of his tears, all the time murmuring "My Sweetness" to him. He lifted his face to her and she gently kissed his lips. Very slowly, she began to undress him, kissing his shoulders, his throat, his chest as she did. She did not use her power for desire or lust. Only love and comfort. And he began to respond to her caresses. She slid to the floor and took him with her, not wanting to break the spell by going to his rooms. Gently, the quiet punctuated only by his moans, she took her second male: Hiei, the little Fire Demon that no one wanted.


	6. Chapter 6: Sesshomaru

**Chapter 6 - Sesshomaru**

 **Otherworld, 25 Years Ago**

They were a happy family, perhaps not the ordinary way you think of a family, but this was the way of the Princesses: Princess Aara, Youko Kurama and Hiei. She adored her two lovers and Youko Kurama and Hiei had become best of friends. It was a fairly peaceful time in Otherworld. The mages, Kaiba and Bakura, kept most of the Demons under control with their wards, and the denizens of Otherworld enjoyed prosperity with good crops and very few deaths at the hands of marauding Demons.

During that time and against her wishes, Hiei had added to his power. He had put a Jagan eye into his forehead that enabled him to call forth Demon fire and, working with Bakura, he now had the power of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame. When dormant, it took the form of a black dragon tattoo on his right arm which he kept covered in warded bandages. Let loose, it was a Demon which took the form of a dragon and came from the deepest pits of hell. It took its victims back to that very hell with it. Hiei could barely control it and sometimes it left his arm badly burnt. But he was now a power to be reckoned with. Princess Aara knew that the peace would not last; some Demon would arise as it had many times before and try to take over Otherworld. With Otherworld under its command, the Demon and its followers would have almost free access to the other worlds, especially the vulnerable Human World. Her sisters were constantly reminding her that she only had two males to protect the most vital part of their world. And this time they even had a suggestion.

The alliance that her eldest sister, Arina, had made with the Western Lands of Demon World was with a powerful Dog Demon named Inutaishou. He had recently been killed in a terrible battle with a Demon dragon, named Ryuukoysusei. Inutaishou managed to seal the dragon with one of his claws but died soon after from his wounds. The dragon remained pinned to a mountain, sealed to sleep forever unless the claw was removed. The son of Inutaishou was now ruler of the Western Lands and if Aara could bind a powerful Demon like him, it would be much to the benefit of Otherworld. The son was a very powerful Demon named Sesshomaru. The Princess sent emissaries to the Western Lands to ask for an audience with Sesshomaru. She did not expect a powerful lord like him to come to her, so she suggested a mid-point meeting place, still in Otherworld, but close to the border of the Western Lands. Kagero, a manor lord, had lands next to the Western border which would be perfect.

Youko Kurama insisted that one of the mages go with them to the meeting. The stronger of the two, the Demon Mage Bakura, reluctantly went with them, dressed head to foot in black robes. Only his face showed when he lifted his head, but even that was in such deep shadows so you couldn't see what he looked like. The Princess knew why, it was not to intimidate, but to hide. Bakura was ashamed of his looks. He had pale blue skin with black Demon markings on his face and body. His eyes were terrifying to those who saw him. Large blood red eyes surrounded by yellow. She wished that he would accept the way he looked but knew that he probably never would. But with Bakura along to protect them, they would be very safe.

She had never seen a Dog Demon before and spent the journey trying to guess what he might look like. She wondered if he would have ears and a tail like Youko Kurama. The Lord of the Manor, Kagero, welcomed his Princess and took them to lavish rooms. There was a dinner planned for this evening and there they would meet Sesshomaru. She dressed in rich dark golden velvet, which brought out the gold of her eyes and went well with her hair. A simple golden circlet went across her forehead. At dinner time, she went to the hall, Youko Kurama on her right and Hiei on her left. As expected, Bakura had refused to leave his rooms.

She walked into the dining hall surprised to see it filled with people. All the important people for miles around had come to see their ruler and protector. Kagero greeted her at the door and escorted her to a seat at the head of the table. Youko Kurama and Hiei were seated on either side of their Princess. At the other end of the table was a young man dressed in white silk and fur with long white hair. He was unbelievably beautiful. Was this Sesshomaru? It wasn't until the end of the dinner, after most of the other guests had left, that she got to meet the Dog Demon Lord face to face. The beautiful Demon was indeed Sesshomaru. His eyes were golden, very much like Youko Kurama's, and he had purple Demon markings on the sides of his face and at his wrists. In the middle of his forehead, he had a blue crescent moon. She was almost disappointed that he didn't have dog ears, but regular ears, pointed at the tips, and he did not have a tail. That magnificent white hair fell unbound to his knees like a sheet of pure snow. He stood tall and straight, with a regal bearing. His voice was soft, yet deep, and his speech was formal and polite.

Princess Aara was amazed by his beauty. Youko Kurama and some of the other males of her sisters were beautiful, but none had the perfection of Sesshomaru. If it were not for the sharp claws at the end of his long slender fingers and the hint of fangs in his mouth, she would have never guessed that he was a Demon. She looked forward to getting to know him better. Reluctantly, she said her goodnights, with the promise of going for a walk with him tomorrow. She couldn't wait! The morning went by at a snail's pace for the Princess while she waited the time for her walk with the Demon Lord. She was excited by the prospect of binding a male so perfect to her. She would be the envy of her sisters, who were constantly teasing her about Hiei. She resented their teasing, for she thought Hiei was adorable! But a male like Sesshomaru would stop their mockery forever!

Together they walked through the gardens and out into the surrounding hills. Sesshomaru was strong enough to protect her from anything. His powers were formidable and included an energy whip and poison claws, not to mention his skill with the sword he carried. He could also change into a full Youkai, a huge dog-like Demon with poison fangs. She wasn't actually looking forward to see that version of him; she much preferred the soft spoken, elegant man who walked beside her. The decision was hers. Sesshomaru already knew the reason of this meeting, and the fact that he attended meant that he was agreeable to the binding. She wasn't sure why she was waiting. A part of her wanted to ask him to be hers immediately, but another part of her counseled caution. And there was a small part of her that just wanted to rip his clothes off and bind him right then and there. She blushed at that thought and he raised an eyebrow at her blush, but made no comment. She noticed that he carried two swords and asked the difference between them.

"One of them is useless, but my father gave it to me, so I carry it."

"Why is it useless?" she asked.

"It is Tenseiga. It cannot kill." he replied. Then continued when he saw her questioning look, "It is a sword of healing. Useless! To my Hanyou half-brother he gave the good sword, Tetsusaiga. That sword can kill a hundred Demons in one stroke. To me, he gave this worthless thing."

She heard the bitterness in his voice. He was jealous! Why had Inutaishou given the killing sword to the younger brother, the half-Demon? Suddenly, she realized the reason. She stopped and touched his arm lightly. "Your father must have loved you very much to give you the sword of healing of love. He realized that you didn't need the stronger sword because of your own strength. He gave the stronger sword to your weaker brother. He showed his love through his gift."

Sesshomaru looked at her in disbelief. What an arrogant woman! Thinking to know his own father's mind. And what good was a sword like Tenseiga? Why would he want to heal? What did she know about his life, about the pain is his heart when his father willed Tetsusaiga to his weak half-human brother and not to him. The Tetsusaiga was his birthright! Princess Aara saw the look on his face, and felt the coldness of his heart for the first time. She said no more. She resumed walking and he followed at her side, both of them in silence.

"His heart is ice," she thought. "I do not think even I will be able to warm it." She was sad because she knew now that she would never take him as one of her males. His beauty was cold, not warm. She only hoped that her refusal would not break the alliance. Her sisters would never forgive her if it did. But, although the Western Lands were an important ally, she would never take this cold-hearted Demon to her bed. She only hoped that one day warmth would touch his heart and he would learn to love.


	7. Chapter 7: Inuyasha

**Chapter 7 - InuYasha**

Fortunately, the alliance did not break. She realized that Sesshomaru did not like her either and was probably glad she had refused him. But she still did not have a third male. All this for nothing. As they traveled back home, with Youko Kurama riding beside her, a thought occurred to her and the asked the Fox. "What is the younger brother like?"

"Who?" Youko Kurama asked.

"Sesshomaru's younger brother. He mentioned that he had a Hanyou brother."

"Ah, InuYasha. I had heard that at the end of his life, Inutaishou fell in love with a human and had a half human son. The son was born here in Otherworld and lives a few days from here. He isn't accepted by Demon World and probably isn't accepted by the humans who live in Otherworld either." he turned to the Princess, "Why do you ask? You can't even consider a half-breed for a mate."

"Why not?" she exclaimed. "Hiei is half fire Demon and half ice Demon."

"But he is all Demon. InuYasha is half-human, a Hanyou. If you think your sisters tease you now about Hiei, try bringing a Hanyou into your bed and see what they say."

She turned from Youko Kurama angrily. "Haughty fox!" she thought. "I will do what I please!" And she commanded them to turn from the path home and go to where InuYasha lived. Youko Kurama sighed, she was so stubborn at times.

So in a few days' time, they came upon a small village that was protected by Kaede, a healer and Miko priestess. InuYasha lived in this area and had been seen just a few days ago. But no one seemed to know him or had ever spoken to him, except for Kaede and then only a few times. The Princess set up tents just outside the village as her lodging and sent both Youko Kurama and Hiei to look for the Hanyou. Bakura stayed with her to protect her.

"He reminds me of Hiei." she mused.

"Who does, Princess?" Bakura asked, his hood down on his shoulders since they were alone.

"InuYasha. He seems like he has no one. Everyone fears him because he is half-Demon or thinks little of him because he is half-human. He is trapped in the middle." she looked at the blue Demon. "Bakura, you are not horrible to look at." He blushed (dark blue rather than red because of his skin tone), and shook his head. She reached over and touched his hand. "You are really quite handsome." He blushed even more, withdrawing his hand and turning away from her.

Sighing, she gave up and turned her thoughts to InuYasha. What was he like? Was he cold like his brother? Was he a wild animal like the villagers seemed to think? It was late afternoon when Hiei came rushing in. "I found him." he told her, always of few words.

"Is he here?" she asked the Fire Demon.

"He is coming after dark. He will not come to the village during the day. They have not treated him well." Hiei said, a touch of bitterness in his voice. He remembered well how he was treated by humans. He learned early that it was better to be feared by them than to be hunted by them.

"What does he look like?"

"Umm…" Hiei thought. He didn't actually stop to look at him that well. He just delivered the message that the Princess wanted to see him and got his reply and then returned to the tents. "I guess he looks something like his brother in coloring. White hair. Dresses in red."

Night fell and the Princess had the best food available prepared to welcome InuYasha. It was very late when he finally arrived, looking around guardedly, full of mistrust. She went to meet him, wanting him to feel welcome, and guided him to the table filled with food. He was similar to his brother, long pure white hair falling free to his waist and golden eyes, the pupils long slits rather than round ones. He had ears like Youko Kurama but they were smaller, and fortunately no tail. She was not fond of Youko Kurama's tail. It always seemed to be in the way during their lovemaking. She even braided it once, much to Youko Kurama's chagrin. He was so upset about having his tail braided, she never did it again.

The Princess sat InuYasha next to her and tried to ply him with questions. But he gave only grumbles as answers, giving all his attention to the feast spread out before him. His manners and demeanor was far from his brother's. InuYasha did not have the refinement of Sesshomaru, but she could sense that his heart was warm and good. She really liked this half dog Demon. His face was sweet and his golden eyes warm. Was she actually considering taking him as one of her males? Remembering Sesshomaru, she decided getting to know him better would be prudent. But how? He was not talking hardly at all, just stuffing himself with food. "How do I get to know him?" Touching him had not worked. He didn't have emotions like Hiei bubbling beneath the surface. He had accepted his lot in life and had made the best of it. What she felt most from him was resignation.

InuYasha had no idea why he had been summoned before one of the Princesses. What did she want with him? She was beautiful indeed, but that frightened him. No one of her bearing or class had ever talked to him before. He was shunned by most. He remembered when he was only a young child and his mother was still alive, people turned from him even then. He didn't understand why no one would play with him and ran to his mother's arms. She cried for him, knowing that he would always be alone, and when she died, a few years after that, when he was only six, he was alone. He lived in the village at first, in the home he shared with his mother, but no one talked to him. Finally, he left, the happiness he had known in his mother's arms only a memory. Since that time, he had lived in the forest, keeping away from people and Demons alike.

The Princess kept on talking to him, asking him about his childhood. Why did she want to know this? Why did she care about his childhood? He stopped eating and looked at her. She seemed genuinely concerned. Why? He could not understand it. No one had ever taken an interest in him except his mother. His own brother hated him.

"Why…" he began, "Why are you asking me these things?"

"Because you are so different from your brother. I want to know why."

"You know Sesshomaru?" he asked.

"I just came from meeting him. I, I was thinking of binding him to me as one of my males," she nodded to Youko Kurama and Hiei across the table, "But his heart was cold and I didn't want him."

"You refused Sesshomaru?" he said, amazed. "He is very beautiful."

"But with a heart of ice. I did not want his cold heart in my bed." she said frankly.

InuYasha blushed deep red. He had never had any kind of a relationship with a female and to talk about bedding so openly was very embarrassing to him.

"You are far nicer that he could ever be." she touched his hand, "That is why I would like to get to know you better."

She was comparing him to his beautiful full Demon brother to him and she liked him better? This did not make any sense. He was well aware of his brother's qualities. Sesshomaru was well taught, while InuYasha could neither read nor write. He was cultured and refined, while he slept in trees and ate with his hands, not knowing how to use the other utensils. His brother wore silks while his only clothes were made of fire rat fur and had been patched a hundred times. It made no sense to him at all. He turned from her, embarrassed and confused, and met the eyes of Hiei, the little Fire Demon. He was also not cultured. Youko Kurama was, but she had also taken Hiei as her mate. It was also rumored that he was her favorite. Was she interested in him? Could she possibly be?

Suddenly he realized she had asked him something and was waiting for a reply.

"What?"

"Will you show me your forest tomorrow?"

"The forest is dangerous." he replied, avoiding an answer.

"I will be fine. I hear you have a wonderful sword that can kill a hundred Demons in one stroke."

Sesshomaru had talked about Tetsusaiga? He never talked about the sword; he hated that their father had given it to him. "Ahhh…" he began.

"Please? I will be safe with you. I am sure of it." Besides, Hiei would not let her out of his sight. She would never see the Fire Demon, but she knew he would be close by, watching over her like he always did.

"O...okay." InuYasha stammered, blushing again.

Princess Aara had made up her mind by the time she said goodbye to InuYasha, when he went back to the safety of his forest. She was going to bind him. Youko Kurama said nothing, knowing that once her mind was made up, it was impossible to change. Hiei only grumbled that InuYasha did not have enough power. She called them both "Silly Demons!" and went to her bed, leaving both of them standing there. They looked at each other, and then went unhappily to their own beds. Both of them would sleep alone tonight!

The next morning, InuYasha came back to the tents to take the Princess to see the forest. As they walked, he pointed out the different trees and suddenly bent down. "Climb on my back." She climbed on his shoulders, clinging tightly. The body beneath her was surprising slender under all those clothes, but she could feel his strength. She felt his muscles tense and then he leapt straight up to the top of the trees and carried her swiftly over the tree tops, leaping from branch to branch in long bounds. It was scary and exhilarating at the same time. To see the forest spread beneath you going by at a dizzying pace was incredible. After a time, he dropped back down to the ground and before them was field filled with flowers with a stream running through it. She ran through the field, dancing through the flowers.

"It is so beautiful!" she laughed. "Thank you for taking me here." She let herself fall to ground in the middle of the flowers.

He rushed to her side, wondering if she was hurt. But she was just lying there, looking up at the clear blue sky. Happy. She looked happy. She looked up at him and pulled him to her, kissing his lips gently, her hands running down his arms.

"I want to make you mine in this field." she murmured, "In your beautiful field of flowers."

She kissed him deeper and he found himself responding to her, kissing her back. This incredible, beautiful princess wanted him? His heart soared. She had refused his brother, but wanted him! His mouth found her neck and he began kissing her there. Then he nuzzled her breast. And blushed suddenly, jerking his head up. What had he done!

"It's okay, InuYasha." She uncovered her breast for him and pulled his head down. He began to kiss, then suckle, first sighing in contentment, then making soft little growling sounds. She watched him, seeing the contented look on his face. His mother had been the only person who had ever given him love before, and the comfort she gave was in her arms and at her breast as she fed him. She understood his need better than he did, wrapping her arms tightly around him, stroking his soft hair. "InuYasha." she murmured softly. Her third male. As she watched a gentle wind move the flowers to and fro, she realized that she was completely happy.


	8. Chapter 8:Kagome

**Chapter 8 - Kagome**

 **Toyko 1878**

Unlike Hiei, Bankotsu stayed for breakfast. Everyone was hung over from all the sake, except for Bankotsu, who seemed neither to get drunk or hung over. Sanosuke, trying not to walk loudly because his head throbbed, figured it was a Demon thing. He had really enjoyed the Demon's company, but had a lot of trouble remembering that he was a Demon. Bankotsu didn't act like a Demon and he certainly didn't look like one, or at least how Sanosuke imagined them. He was funny, happy, and seemed to like everyone. Sanosuke wondered what his story was, but didn't since Bankotsu didn't offer up anything personal about himself, he didn't pry. Maybe he could get the story from one of the other visitors.

Miss Megume came in the early afternoon to check on Kurama and change his bandages. This time, when she had Kenshin gently turn him over, he woke up, eyes glazed and dim. It was just for a few minutes and they couldn't hear what he murmured, but Miss Megume considered it a good sign. Nothing much got done at the dojo. Kaoru and Yahiko practiced only a little, and even Kenshin was walking quietly and doing things more slowly. At dusk, there was the expected knock, and Kenshin went to answer it. The others rushed to the porch to see who (or what) was going to be at the door. But no one expected what was standing at the door: a teenage girl. She was dressed in very strange garb, her legs almost totally uncovered. Everyone stared. She couldn't be a Demon, could she?

She smiled and then turned to yell up the road at the top of her lungs, "Where are you? Come on! Suddenly, a tall, slender man appeared alongside her, his arms full of packages.

"I dropped a couple and had to stop to pick them up." he said to her.

They both came into the dojo and Kenshin closed the outer door and followed behind.

"Hi! I'm Kagome and this is Kouga." she said cheerily.

Kouga was a Demon. That was obvious, although he looked very human, he was not as human looking as Bankotsu. He had black hair pulled back into a long ponytail and his pupils were sky blue long ovals. He was wearing fur, but his long lean legs and muscular arms where bare except for fur coverings around his ankles and wrists. And he had fangs and pointed ears.

"InuYasha was supposed to come, but he got detained, so we volunteered. If it is okay with you, could we stay a couple of days?" she looked at Kouga and they smiled at one another as if they were sharing some secret between them.

"Of course. You are welcome here." Kaoru replied.

Kouga took the packages to the porch. "We brought some supplies." Kaoru and Kenshin began to unwrap the parcels. Potatoes, squash, tubers, lettuce, radishes, all sorts of vegetables, looking like they had just been freshly picked. Another parcel had fresh fish. And another contained a whole side of deer. In one large package there were two dozen bottles of sake.

"We knew Bankotsu was here last night and figured that he probably drank you out of house and home. He does love his sake!" Kagome explained when she saw the surprised look on Kaoru's face (and the very happy one on Sanosuke's). In one parcel, there was a fresh liver.

"Oh! That's mine." Kouga quickly said. "My dinner."

"What are you?" Yahiko asked with his usual tact.

"Kouga is the leader of the Wolf Demons," Kagome replied for him, then added, "And my mate."

"Your mate?" Kaoru was even more surprised now. "You don't look like a Demon at all!"

"I'm not!" Kagome said laughing, "I'm from here, from Toyko, but from the year 2000. But I live in Otherworld now with Kouga."

"I've got to hear your story!" exclaimed Sanosuke. Otherworld was beginning to sound more and more interesting.

"I'll tell you my story over dinner. But let me see Kurama right now. Has he awoken at all?" Kaoru and Kagome left for Kurama's room. The men gathered up the packages and took them to the kitchen, where Kenshin started dinner.

"You do the cooking?" Kouga asked.

"You should taste Kaoru's cooking!" Sanosuke exclaimed. "Kenshin's food is at least edible."

"Oh, don't cook that, please." Kouga said when Kenshin unwrapped the liver, "I like it raw."

Sanosuke grimaced, but Kenshin didn't blink an eye. He just put the liver on a plate.

"I'd better cut it up," Kouga said. "Kagome doesn't like me tearing up my food in front of people." He began to cut it up into wet, bloody chunks.

Kagome brushed strands of silken red hair from Kurama's face as she knelt beside him. "He is such a sweet person. I hate to see something this terrible happen to him."

"He looks like a nice person. He only woke up for a minute or two so we've haven't been able to talk to him. Bankotsu told us his story.. how he became human."

"Well, he got his Demon powers back a few years ago, so he can change to his Fox Demon form whenever he wants, but I don't think he can stay in that form too long." she straightened the covers around him, "You wouldn't think the power of growing plants was much, but he is probably the most powerful of all the Princess' males."

"Isn't that strange to you?" Kaoru asked. "One woman with so many men?"

"At first it was, but then I got to know her. Princess Aara is such a loving person. You just feel good being around her. Her four males are content and all very good friends. There is no jealousy or rivalry between them. It's amazing."

"The three I've meet seem quite different from each other. InuYasha is the one I haven't met. Do you know him?"

"Oh, yes! I know him very well! That's part of the story that you'll hear at dinner."

Later that evening, they all sat down to a wonderful meal. Kenshin had prepared both fish and deer and steamed vegetables for them. And a bottle of sake was opened, but neither Kagome or Kouga drank. Kaoru also abstained and Kenshin drank only a cup or two. Even Sanosuke didn't feel like drinking much after last night. After dinner, over steaming cups of tea, Kagome told her story. Of how a 21st century girl from Tokyo went to Otherworld, met InuYasha, and fell in love with a Wolf Demon.

 **Otherworld, 3 Years Ago**

Kagome and her family lived next to a 500-year-old sacred shrine in Tokyo. One day when she was 16, she accidentally fell into an old dry well next to the shrine and instead of hitting bottom, she went through a portal and came out in Otherworld. She wandered until she came to a village and there met a Miko priestess named Kaede. Kaede's sister, a powerful priestess, had been in charge of a crystal talisman which would make Demons and humans alike more powerful. At her death, it had shattered in a thousand pieces, the shards scattering all over Otherworld. Princess Aara, being the protector of Otherworld, was trying to find the shards before they got in the wrong hands. Unfortunately, some of the shards had already been found and new powerful Demons were attacking the people of Otherworld. The Protectors had their hands full. Kagome found she had the ability to sense the shards, and she was asked for her help in finding them. After seeing all the inhabitants of a nearby village slaughtered by a Demon who had gotten one of the shards, she agreed. How could she do otherwise? The Princess sent her third male, a Dog Demon named InuYasha, to protect her and help her retrieve the shards. Kaede's Village became the center point and they traveled a few days out and then back; then a few days in another direction and back again. When she came back to the Village, she would go through the portal and return home for a few days. InuYasha also used the break to visit the Princess.

During the next few weeks, they were joined by a young monk named Miroku, who had been cursed with a void in his right hand. The void, about 2 inches in diameter, could suck in anything, no matter what the size. But it was cursed; it would widen over time until one day Miroku would be consumed by his own void. It was a family curse and both his grandfather and father had died early deaths because of the void. Considering the terrible future he had, Miroku was surprisingly upbeat. But occasionally it would get the better of him and he would brood. Feeling his life was going to be very short, he had a tendency to ask every young woman he met to bear his child, his heir. Including Kagome, who slapped him..hard! Leaving the imprint of her hand for quite a long while. He never asked her again.

They were also joined by a Demon hunter named Sango, who had a two-tailed Demon cat named Kirara. Kirara, like many Demons had a second, more powerful form. She could transform to the size of a small horse and fly through the air. Sango wielded a huge boomerang made of Demon bone as her weapon. Together, they were a formidable team. Shippo, a small fox Demon, also joined their group, but he wasn't really powerful enough to help, but he was sweet and Kagome liked him a lot. InuYasha was loud and brash and immature, but he had a good heart and was a very good protector. He seemed to know no fear at all and would jump right into the fray of things, often before thinking things through. He was always getting hurt and requiring Kaede's stitching to repair deep wounds. Fortunately being a Demon (or half Demon in his case), he healed quickly and completely. But still, Kagome began to carry a first aid kit with her at all times.


	9. Chapter 9: Kouga

**Chapter 9 - Kouga**

 **Otherworld, Three Years Ago**

InuYasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango and Shippo were about a day from Kaede's Village, traveling to the western border of Otherworld when they were suddenly surrounded by wolves. A small whirlwind approached them that subsided, revealing a slender young man dressed in wolf fur. He was Kouga, leader of the Wolf Clan. He used three shard fragments to augment his strength and speed, with the blessing of the Princess since he and his wolves were an integral part of the protection of Otherworld.

"Hey, Puppy! What are you doing here?" he called out to InuYasha.

Kouga and InuYasha had known each other for many years and they enjoyed a friendly rivalry, mostly verbal name-calling. Kouga never let InuYasha forget that the Princess had considered him for one of her males before she even met InuYasha and that he had turned her down. "Wolves mate for life. I could not be with someone who had other mates." And InuYasha did not appreciate the reminder at all.

"Puppy!" InuYasha growled, "You dare call me that! You flea bitten wolf!"

"Ah! I don't have time to play fetch with you today, Puppy!"

Kagome had sensed the shards when the wolf arrived and now she called out a warning. "InuYasha, he has shards. In his right arm and on both legs." Kouga looked at her with interest and walked toward her, "Ah, you must be the human I've been hearing about. You can sense the shard fragments." Then he stated, proudly, "I am Kouga. Leader of the Wolf Clan." "Hi. My name is Kagome." She said, blushing at his attention. He smiled at her, then he and his wolves raced away. But in the following days, he kept reappearing. It seemed that whenever she was in danger, Kouga would appear. A Demon would make a threatening move towards her and suddenly she would be whisked away, finding herself far from danger, held in Kouga's strong arms. He would put her down and then race off again.

After about two weeks of appearing daily, Kouga suddenly showed up bearing a handful of flowers. He handed them to Kagome, "They tell me that human women like this sort of thing." Miroku and Sango dragged InuYasha away before he could say anything. It was obvious that Kouga had developed feelings for Kagome and they didn't want InuYasha spoiling things. Left alone with Kagome, Kouga came right to the point. "I want you to be my woman."

Kagome stammered, "What?"

"I've fallen in love with you and would like you to be my life mate." he said, trying to explain. He was not that good with words. "You are a fine woman. Intelligent, courageous, and pretty. I think we would be good together." He looked at her earnestly.

Kagome wasn't quite sure what to say. She had never even thought of getting married - or "mating" to use his words. She was only 16 and still in high school. She looked into his strange oval eyes, eyes as blue as the sky above them. "I am too young and I still have school." she began.

"How old are you? You look old enough to me."

"I'm 16." she answered.

"That is plenty old enough! Most Otherworld humans are already mated by the time they are 16." he exclaimed.

Well, that didn't help! she thought. She looked at the wolf. He looked like he was

about 18. "How old are you?" she ventured.

"Ummm…126."

"126! You are 126 years old!" Now she wondered how old InuYasha was since he looked about the same age as Kouga.

"Yes. Are you wondering why I haven't mated yet?" he asked, suddenly worried, "I was bringing the clans together when I was younger, and then I wanted to find just the right female. Wolves mate for life, and we know the moment we meet our lifemates. You are mine."

There didn't seem to be a way to deter him. She begged for more time to get to know him better and he quickly agreed. He decided that he simply would join the group until she realized that she loved him. Miroku, Sango and Shippo were getting a big kick out of the love-sick wolf. He hovered around Kagome constantly, bringing her small gifts that he found on the way: more flowers, a bird nest, a pretty rock, a plump juicy rat (which he quickly realized was not a good gift!), and other small items. He was so determined to win Kagome's heart. InuYasha on the other hand, did not think it was endearing. He teased and tormented the wolf constantly.

Kagome began to take Kouga's side against InuYasha, she felt so badly for him. Kouga was wearing his heart on his sleeve. He was also wearing her down. Kagome began to rely on him, he was always there to give her a hand, to protect her from danger, or just to talk to. At night the group usually slept on the ground wrapped in blankets, except for InuYasha who preferred to sleep in a tree. Kouga didn't use a blanket, but he made sure he was next to Kagome. After a few nights, Kagome began to look forward to sleeping next to his warm body. After a week, she curled in his arms, using his shoulder as her pillow. Occasionally, one of his clan would arrive to inform him about something. His best friends and lieutenants, Ginta and Hakkaku, soon were traveling with the group, along with several wolves. They began to call Kagome "Mother." She asked Kouga why they were doing that. In his usual straightforward way, he answered, "When we mate, you will become our Clan Mother."

"Oh." she said. How was she ever going to stop him? And a part of her wondered if she really wanted to. She liked the attention he was showering on her. She never had a boyfriend before and Kouga was literally sweeping her off her feet. One afternoon, about three weeks after he joined the group, she was sitting with him overlooking a small pond. It was so beautiful, the grass waving in the soft breeze, flowers all around her, the pond sparkling blue, as blue as Kouga's eyes. He sat as close as he could to her, her hand in his. Very gently, he lifted her face to his and kissed her. She didn't stop him and after a few seconds, she began to kiss him back.

He felt like his heart would burst with joy! She was kissing him! He let go of her hand and slipped his arms around her, kissing her deeply. When they parted, he looked into her deep brown eyes. "I love you, Kagome," he said softly, "I don't know how humans in your world go about this, but I want you to be with me forever."

Kagome's thoughts and emotions were in turmoil. She liked him very much, but did she love him? She didn't know. And did he expect her to live here in Otherworld? To give up her life, her family? Kouga could see the uncertainty in her eyes and didn't press her further. He could only hope that she would learn to love him just a little. The next day, he received word from his clan that he was needed by the Northern Clan. He would be gone for about a week. He hugged Kagome tightly, but could find no words to say to her. So he left, his wolves trailing behind him. During that long week, Kagome suddenly felt like an empty hole had been carved into her life. At night, she did not have his warm body to sleep against. She missed his strong arms and his constant attention. She missed that he always listened to her. She missed his blue eyes and his wide smile which showed just the tips of his fangs. She missed him more than she ever thought possible!

A week passed and Kouga didn't return. Kagome was getting very anxious, worried that something had happened to him. She kept looking around, prompting InuYasha to comment.

"Stop looking for him. I'll sense him before he even gets near! Why don't you just mate him! It's obvious that you love him!"

For once, the usually clueless InuYasha hit the nail on the head. Kagome looked into his golden eyes and suddenly hugged him, causing the Dog Demon to stumble backward in alarm.

"Thank you!" she cried happily, "You're right! I do love him!" Now she just needed Kouga to return to her.

It was four days later when Kouga finally returned. The meeting with the Northern Clan had taken longer than he had expected. True to his word, InuYasha sensed him coming and touched Kagome arm, nodding to the west. In the distance, she could see his telltale whirlwind. She stood there waiting for him and he didn't even slow down, just picked her up and took her to a nearby bluff. When he stopped, he was holding her in his arms. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him.

"I missed you so much!" she said to her wolf, "And I realized that I love you!"

"You love me? You will be my mate?" he asked, surprised and elated at the same time.

"Yes, Kouga, I will marry you. I mean, I will mate with you."

A few days later, Kagome took Kouga back to her world to meet her mother, grandfather and younger brother. They had already met InuYasha so fangs and claws didn't bother them. They were disappointed that he didn't have furry ears like InuYasha..his ears looked human but were pointed like a wolf's. Her mother trusted her daughter and if Kagome felt that this was right, she would support her. Plus, she could see how much Kouga loved her daughter every time he looked at her. It was written all over his face. Just before they were going to return to Otherworld, Kagome's mother gave them her grandmother's wedding rings. Kouga looked at the slender gold bands with curiosity. Kagome explained what they meant here in the Human World and she placed the larger one on his ring finger. It fit perfectly! She gave him the smaller ring and he placed it on her finger, copying what she had done. She hugged her mother tightly. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"When will you two marry? I mean mate?" her mother asked.

"Just as soon as we return. We will go to the Clan's main home." Kouga replied, still looking at the gold ring on his hand. He had never had a ring before and what this ring symbolized meant a lot to him.

Once they were back in Otherworld, Kouga took Kagome to the wolf clan's home. It was a large cave hidden behind a beautiful waterfall which you went through to get into the cave. Kouga walked with Kagome to the back of the cave, moving through his men and wolves. They moved aside, giving passage to their leader and his soon-to-be mate. Kagome trembled. Were they going to make love with all these men here? "Kouga…" she began softly. He gave her a small curt shake of his head. She fell silent. At the far back of the cave, a small portion had been walled off with branches entwined with flowers. Inside was a soft bower of grasses. "Well," she thought miserably, "at least they tried to make it nice." Kouga sat down on the bower and pulled her down to his side. He began nuzzling her face and neck. She could hear the men and wolves milling around outside the bower, only a few feet from them. Kouga lay down, pulling her down next to him, nuzzling, kissing and licking her. He made little growling noises as he moved against her. He began to undress her, nuzzling each part that he uncovered. She was very aware of his clan right behind the screen wall. This was not the wedding night that she had dreamed about! He quickly undressed and then turned her over on her stomach in one easy motion. He then lifted her hips, fitting his body against hers, separating her legs with his own, his hard length pressed tightly against her. He adjusted his body and she felt him begin to slowly enter her. She had never been so unhappy! Tears began to fill her eyes. Where was the loving wolf that had promised to protect her?

She looked down and noticed his hands on either side of her, the gold wedding ring shining brightly on the left one. Then she noticed that his claws were digging into the grasses around her, his knuckles white with strain. Suddenly she realized that it was taking all of his will power to go so slowly; he didn't want to hurt her! She put her hands over his and he nuzzled her cheek from behind. He was so gentle and slow, giving her body time to adjust to every thrust, that it didn't hurt at all. Soon she was used to the feel of him inside her and began moving with him. He began to thrust deeper and harder, faster and faster, until she felt a rush of warmth. At that same moment, he threw back his head and howled exactly like a wolf. A chorus of howls joined his, the wolf Demons and wolves both. The cave echoed with their howls.

Kagome blushed deep red when she heard him howl, and even redder when the rest joined in. They had heard everything; they had probably been following every sound. Kouga was still pressed tightly against her, his lips next to her ear.

"Forgive me, Kagome. I had to do it this way the first time," he whispered, "It is part of the ritual. I am the leader and my mating is very important to the clan. You are now the Clan Mother and they have to know that you and I are truly mated."

She turned slightly so that she could see his face, "We won't live here in this den?"

"No!" he said as he moved so that they were facing each other, "We will live in Kaede's Village; part of the clan is already building a house on the outskirts where we can live. I wouldn't make you live in a den."

She threw her arms around him, grateful that he was still the person she had fallen in love with, "Why didn't you tell me about this."

"If I did, would you have done it?" he asked. She shook her head. "I had no choice if I am to be their leader. They had to unconditionally accept you as my mate. Especially since you're a human. There could be no doubt that you are my mate."

"Do you always howl?" she said, smiling at her new lifemate.

Now he blushed with embarrassment, "I don't know. This was my first time also. Remember, wolves mate for life."

She turned around and wrapped her arms around him, burying herself in his warmth. "I love you, Kouga." she whispered.

"And I will always love you," he replied, softly, "You are my life mate."

 **Toyko 1878**

Of course, Kagome told a very abbreviated version of their first mating to the group, leaving out almost everything personal except for the howling.

"Does he still howl?" asked Sanosuke. "I ask only because my room is next to yours."

"Fortunately, that was the only time he ever howled." Kagome said with a laugh.


	10. Chapter 10: The dark tournament

**Chapter 10 - The Dark Tournament**

 **Demon World, 6 Years Ago**

Koenma, the young ruler of the Spirit World, came to the Princess for help. He needed to "borrow" Hiei and Kurama for the Dark Tournament. Every few years, the Demon World held a fight tournament where Demons compete with each other, usually to the death. The prize is anything they want: untold power, immortality, whatever they choose. And during every tournament a special team is "invited" without being given a choice about participating. They fight in the tournament or they year, Koenma's newest spirit detective, Yusuke Urameshi, was the "invitee." Yusuke was a human boy who could beat up almost everyone he encountered, human or Demon. But the reason he was capable of that power was still a secret, even from him. His father was Raizen, the ruler of the Northern Lands in Demon World. He was a Battle Demon, loving nothing more than anything a good fight. But they needed a team of five and they only had three members so far: Yusuke, his human friend Kuwabara and his sensei, Genkai. They needed two more members and they need them to be powerful. Kuwabara had great spirit energy which he could use as a weapon but he was only a human. And Genkai was in the waning years of her power.

The Princess told Hiei and Kurama of the request. Yusuke had recently helped Hiei rescue his sister, Yukina, and they felt that they owed him. It was only two years ago when Hiei found out he even had a sister. He had finally gone back to Ice World, the land of his birth, and found his mother's grave. He was told about his twin sister during that visit. He was shocked and elated at the same time. He had a sister! He set out to find her, using the power of his Jagan eye. When he did find her, she was being held captive in the Human World and Yusuke and Kuwabara helped rescue her. Unfortunately for Hiei, who thought the human useless, Kuwabara also fell in love with her, but Hiei could do nothing about that, especially since his sister seemed to like the human in return. Yukina was overjoyed at finding her brother and promised to visit him often in Otherworld.

So the five went to Demon World and the Dark Tournament. There were daily contests, often ending in terrible wounds or death. Yusuke was a force to be reckoned with. He defeated the powerful Wind Demon, Jin, to everyone's surprise. And became fast friends with Jin. He had felt a kinship with the tall redhead from the beginning. What neither of them realized was that Jin was also a son of Raizen and therefore Yusuke's half-brother. Kurama had fought one of Jin's teammates, Touya, who commanded ice. It was a hard won fight and he was badly hurt, but he had his Fox spirit to help him heal. Hiei had unleashed the Dragon of the Darkness Flame in his first fight, and now everyone feared his terrible power.

Their main rivals and the team expected to win the tournament was the Toguro team. They were very strong, deadly Demons. One in particular, a Demon named Karasu, had taken to threatening Kurama at every opportunity. He seemed to be attracted to Kurama, but as he put it, "What I like, I like to kill." Kurama knew he was no match for a Demon who create energy bombs from thin air and was dreading their fight, for he knew it would be a death match. If only he could tap into his Youko Kurama powers! His power over plants was not going to be enough. Youko Kurama could grow powerful Demon plants, and with that power, he might have a chance against Karasu.

But Kurama's fight with Shima of the Uraotogi Team caught them all off guard. Shima's attack was supposed to regress Kurama to a helpless child, but instead it regressed him to the powerful and deadly Youko Kurama. Suddenly his Demon self appeared. He could only stay in the form for minutes, but it was enough to easily win the match. Kurama had to find out how it had been done. When all the matches of the day ended, the Urameshi team had advanced again. Only one more team to beat. Team Toguro! That was the day after tomorrow.

After the day's matches were complete, they all went their separate ways. Yusuke went with Genkai to train, Kuwabara went to his room to sleep, and Hiei went to his usual place on the sea cliffs where he could train safely with his Darkness Flame. Kurama was left alone and decided to go to his room. Ever since the match with Shima, he had been feeling very strange. Karasu couldn't believe his eyes. Kurama, the beautiful Fox Demon, who was now an even more beautiful human, was walking down the hall toward him. All alone! He was so desirable, so delicious! Karasu started to say something, but then stopped. Something was wrong with Kurama. He was walking strangely, weaving slightly. As he passed by Kurama, he could feel heat coming off of him. Did he have a fever? Was he getting sick?

He turned suddenly and slid his hands around the redhead's slender neck. A startled Kurama muttered "No!" but seemed to be unable to follow through with any action. He was hot to the touch. His entire body was burning. Karasu may have wanted to kill Kurama in the arena, after toying with him for a while, but he certainly didn't want Kurama to get sick and not be able to fight him. That wouldn't do at all! He slipped an arm around Kurama's shoulder and the fox groaned. No! that was a moan! He experimentally moved his arm across Kurama's back and was treated to a deeper moan. He's in heat! Humans don't go into heat! But …. but Fox Demons do! And Kurama had been changed into Youko Kurama, his Fox Demon form, in the last match. A very sexual Fox Demon. When he returned to his human form, the sexuality of the Fox Demon had stayed and his human body couldn't deal with it.

Karasu licked his lips. Kurama just stood there, heat coming off of him in waves.

"Where is Hiei?" He didn't want to run into that Demon! Not tonight!

"Leave me alone." Kurama muttered, but there was no force to his words.

Karasu decided to take a chance, an opportunity like this would never come along again. He kept his arm around Kurama and steered him to the room he shared with Hiei. He knew well which room it was. He had dreamt about going in that room and the imaginary pleasure that he would find in there. Now his dream was coming true. Karasu slid his hand into Kurama's pants pocket to find the card key. Kurama trembled violently at the touch but did not say anything. He stood there, his eyes closed, perspiration glistening on his face. Karasu found the key and opened the door. Where was Hiei? He couldn't feel the ki of the fire Demon at all. He must have gone to the sea cliffs to train. When he did that, he was usually gone all night. Oh, yes, the Toguro team kept close watch on the Urameshi team.

He led Kurama to the edge of the bed and set him down. Karasu went back to the door and carefully locked it. He set one of his energy bombs at the door just in case. He didn't want to be surprised, especially by Hiei. Kurama was only half on the bed, his legs hanging over the side, moaning softly. Karasu pulled off Kurama's shoes and then removed his shirt. "Please don't," he whimpered. His huge emerald eyes were glazed. Kurama lay there, pale and slender, offering no resistance. So feminine for a man. His brilliant red hair was spread across the bed. Karasu picked up a lock of that beautiful hair, running it through his fingers. Kurama moaned again.

He couldn't waste time! Karasu quickly undid Kurama's pants and pulled them off, then his plain white underwear, a kitsune would never wear those! Suddenly Kurama was spread out before him. Karasu stopped and just stared at the young body spread out before him. This was his dream! The beautiful Fox helpless before him! And the real thing was so much better than the dream. The beautiful red silk of his hair was repeated below. Karasu touched it, entangling his fingers in the crimson. Kurama arched violently, "Nooo!"

Karasu went to his knees in front of the young man. He took Kurama's slender legs and spread them, revealing him completely. Kurama writhed, "Please…" he gasped. Was he begging for Karasu to stop or to continue? Karasu bent to his task, sucking and licking the treasure in front of him. Without wanting to, his need overpowering his reason, Kurama spread himself even wider, his hips now moving to the rhythm of Karasu's expert tongue. Karasu slid a finger deep inside of him and felt the tightness.

"Ah, you are a virgin again, are you? Well, not after tonight." Karasu slid a second finger in and Kurama cried out. Tears squeezed from his tightly closed eyes. He wanted Karasu to leave him alone, yet part of him wanted Karasu to continue, to take him, to give him release. He moaned in torment.

Karasu undid his own trousers and his length sprung free. He was very ready. And so was Kurama. He pushed Kurama's legs upward, bringing his rear off the bed and shoved himself inside. Kurama moaned and bucked against him. "Please…" came the breathless word again. Karasu began his rhythm, slowly at first, allowing his speed to build. He reached for Kurama. He knew that they were both very close to release, and he moved faster and faster toward it. And at the very moment of release, he heard the balcony door open. Hiei had felt a restlessness all night. Something was wrong. He couldn't pinpoint it. Finally, he gave up trying to train and went back to the hotel. He leapt easily to the small balcony of their room and went in the balcony door as usual. He never remembered his card key.

He walked into a nightmare. Kurama was spread on the bed, his body arching violently. Karasu! That Demon was rutting inside of Kurama. What? Kurama belonged to the Princess! NO! Hiei reacted instantly. He threw himself against Karasu and drew his sword in one fluid motion. Karasu stumbled and fell to the floor. Hiei slashed downward and Karasu moved just in time. There was a deep slash across his hips and stomach. If the blade had cut just an inch lower…. Karasu moved quickly to the door, remembering at the last instant his energy bomb and it dissipated at his touch. He closed the door behind and prayed that Hiei would not follow him. He tried to pull himself together, his fingers wet with his own blood and Kurama's release. He was shaking badly.

Hiei went to Kurama, anger flooding through him. He roughly pulled the Fox off the bed to the floor. Kurama sat against the bed, tears falling down his face. "I'm so sorry." he whispered. Hiei was beyond rationale thinking. And he could think about was that Kurama had betrayed the Princess. He hit Kurama hard. Blood began to drip from Kurama's nose and mouth, and mingled with his tears. "I couldn't stop myself. I couldn't stop myself." he said miserably.

Hiei looked at him. He had never seen Kurama cry before. What the hell was the matter with him? And then he felt it, the heat! Oh, no! It felt like he was in heat! It had happened many times before, but he was Youko Kurama then and the Princess was always nearby, somehow knowing that he would need her. Hiei sat on the bed next to his friend. He bent over and cradled his head.

"Oh, no! I'm sorry, Kurama. I didn't realize. I shouldn't have hit you." He smoothed the tangled red hair and brushed the tears away. "It will be alright. The Princess will understand."

After a night's sleep, the heat disappeared. It was only a shadow of his Fox heat, brought on by the transformation and in the late morning, just before the match between Toguro and Yukuke's team, Suzuki, the leader of the Uraotogi Team, gave Kurama an unexpected gift. The seed of the plant that could change him to his Demon form. Now he had a chance against Karasu!

The Dark Tournament was over and the members of Toguro team were dead. Kurama changed to Youko Kurama during his battle with Karasu. Karasu had been humiliated by Hiei and was out for blood. Kurama had no choice but to kill the Demon. But now he had the seed of the plant that could change him temporarily into Youko Kurama and with Bakura's help, he would be able to regain his full Youkai powers. They had won the tournament but the cost was high. Yukuske and his friend, Kuwabara, were both badly hurt. Hiei had used his Dragon of the Darkness Flame longer that he ever had before and had passed out from the strain. Kuwabara was carrying him on his back, the little Demon in a deep healing sleep.

Kurama was swathed in bandages; Karasu's energy bombs had torn chunks of flesh out of him. Every step hurt. And even worse than those injuries, was the fact that changing to Youko Kurama had put him back in the false heat. He was miserable. Bakura had created a temporary portal that would take them right to the Castle's gates. The group of them limped to it, going through where the Princess was waiting for them on the other side. After greeting Yusuke and Kuwabara, she checked Hiei, still asleep on Kuwabara's back, and directed a servant to take Kuwabara to Hiei's room and then to show him to a guest room. She then turned to Kurama. He stood there, his head down. She could feel his terrible need. And his shame. "Oh, my Fox, my poor Fox," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around him. He buried his head in her neck and sighed. Together they walked to his room; his wounds would have to wait.

 **Otherworld, Later That Day**

The Princess lay there in gentle heat of the afternoon with Kurama resting in her arms. There was a breeze coming in the open balcony doors and it was very pleasant just to be lying looked over at Kurama, who was watching her.

"You have more bandages that skin, my Love."

He smiled, but his eyes were sad. She kissed his eyelids, wishing she could erase those terrible memories for him. But that was beyond her power. She surrounded him with love and hoped it would be enough.

There was a soft knock and Kaiba came in. "Let me heal his wounds."

She kissed Kurama's forehead and then slipped from his arms and left him to Kaiba's healing touch. She walked quietly across the hall and opened the door to Hiei's room. He was asleep, burrowed in a tangle of blankets, curled in a little ball. She smiled and went to him and gently untangled the blankets around him. She bent over him and kissed his cheek softly. When she straightened up, his garnet eyes were looking at her, sleepily. "Go back to sleep, Sweetness."

"Please don't leave," he murmured, waking up completely and reaching for her arm.

"You need your rest."

"Just hold me," he pleaded. She slid into the bed, propped up on the pillows, and he curled into her lap. She stroked the soft peaks of his hair. Tracing the outline of the white star there. She idly wondered if anyone realized that the star repeated itself below. She was drifting to sleep herself, when he murmured something.

"Hmm … What did you say?"

"I hit him."

He was looking up at her, guilt filling his eyes.

"He couldn't help himself. He didn't want to, but he couldn't stop himself," he continued, his voice breaking, "And Karasu took advantage of his need. He was raped and then I hit him." Tears began to run down his cheek. "He is my friend, for a long time my only friend, and when he needed me most, I hit him."

She comforted him, stroking his cheek gently, murmuring soft words until he quieted and fell back to sleep. But his words stayed with the Princess. It was almost like what she had done to Bankotsu 14 years ago. She would never forget that terrible day.


	11. Chapter 11: Bankotsu's tale

**Chapter 11 - Bankotsu's Tale**

 **Otherworld, 20 Years Ago**

Since it had been fairly peaceful lately, the Princess decided to travel through Otherworld. She rarely got to travel her own lands because of the danger, and she was looking forward to seeing her people and the land. Youko Kurama and InuYasha accompanied her on her trip along with a four human guards. Youko Kurama had a small wagon made for the Princess, one that she could use for sleeping and for traveling when she got tired of riding on horseback. It was little more than a traveling bed with cloth side panels that could be raised for air or a view. Since InuYasha knew the lands better than any of them, he would be their guide. InuYasha remembered how much the Princess loved his field of flowers and sought to find similar places that she might like. They had traveled for about two weeks, making numerous side journeys to see the beautiful scenery.

They were in the northern part of Otherworld, close to the Four Gods World border, when they approached a small village. Both Demons immediately stopped.

"Blood!" InuYasha said, sniffing the air. Youko Kurama nodded and signaled the guards to surround the Princess, then he and InuYasha went to investigate. They returned after a short while and the group slowly followed them into the village. Everyone was dead. Slaughtered!

"Do you know what happened?" she asked, watching her guards digging graves for the victims.

"A couple of people were found alive." Youko Kurama answered. "They said they were attacked by a group of Demons, all with jewel shards, called the Shichinintai. There were seven of them, but only three attacked this village, one had been killed by the soldiers, and the remaining two went to the west. They have no idea where the other four are."

InuYasha and Youko Kurama traveled quickly to the west to find the two Shichinintai who had escaped, while the Princess and her guard traveled more slowly after them. They didn't want to split up their group for long since there were four more Shichinintai. When InuYasha and Youko Kurama found the Shichinintai, there were three of them instead of two. They all had powers: one had dozens of weapons attached to his body, the other was a poison expert and the third, well, the third one was a surprise. It was a girl!

"What are you doing with these ruffians," InuYasha called to her.

"Oh! Aren't you cute! I love those ears!" she replied.

Youko Kurama was looking at her very carefully while InuYasha blustered at her words. "InuYasha, I don't think that's a girl. I'm sure that it is a male."

"Oh! You take the fun out of everything!" he exclaimed. For Youko Kurama was right, the third one was also male, but dressed as a woman. "I am Jakotsu of the Shichinintai. And for taking away my fun, I will kill you!"

With that he unleashed a sword that had a long chain of blades that could curve and bend. He was deadly with that swift blade! But not deadly enough; the battle was very short. InuYasha took care of the one with the weapons with the Tetsusaiga, cutting him open. He was dead before he hit the ground. A canister of poison gas gave the other two a chance to escape but Youko Kurama snared the poison maker in his plants before he got very far.

Jakotsu escaped in the poison fog, calling "I'll see you soon, InuYasha!"

InuYasha and Youko Kurama searched the area but found no sign of him. They quickly returned to the Princess. When they got there, they found Kouga with her. The Wolf Demon had heard about the Shichinintai and was looking for them also. They had been seen further west.

"Be careful of the leader, Bankotsu," Kouga cautioned. "He can call down lightning."

"Lightning?" the Princess mused, "That would be a great weapon for a Protector."

"Protector?" InuYasha looked at her incredulously, "He is a killer!"

"If he is a Thunder Demon and can summon lightning, he is too valuable to kill. I want him captured alive."

So they traveled west, with instructions not to kill the leader. The Princess was sure that once he heard her proposal, he would agree to become one of the Protectors of Otherworld. All she had to do was talk to him, and use her power a little. Just a bit of trust should work. A Thunder Demon would make a wonderful Protector! Three more days passed with no sign of the Shichinintai. In the distance they could see a small fortress built into the side of the mountain. As they got closer, they again picked up the scent of fresh blood.

"They're in there!" InuYasha said, drawing Tetsusaiga. They could see dozens of soldiers' bodies strewn around the gate.

"Stay together!" Youko Kurama admonished Kouga, who tended to speed into trouble. He readied his seeds to make his deadly plants. He had a feeling that these four would not be as easy as the first two. They cautiously approached the gate, but no one was around. Either they were gone already or they were so sure of themselves they had not set a watch. The three Demons went inside, with the Princess and her guards trailing at a safe distance. Two of the Shichinintai came from the side of the manor house, then Jakotsu followed a minute later. One was still missing. Which one was the leader? Renkotsu went after Youko Kurama with his fire wires, strong steel wires with flames burning down their length. The flames were preventing him from using his plants. Every time he started to grow one, Renkotsu would burn it before it got large enough. Suikotsu went after InuYasha. He was very, very strong with steel claws attached to his hands. InuYasha had already just missed getting slashed. Kouga and Jakotsu paired off, but Kouga easily outran the chain sword. Now he just needed to get close.

Suddenly the fourth member appeared. He was carrying a huge halberd, larger than his own body, and he carried it like it weighed nothing. This had to be the leader! Bankotsu! Why was he so late in arriving? At almost the same instant of Bankotsu's arrival, Kouga got past the defenses of Jakotsu's blade and slashed him open with his claws. A surprised look crossed his face and then he fell dead. The leader watched in horror as Jakotsu died. He charged at Kouga, but Kouga swiftly sped away.

"No! Don't kill him! He's the leader," the Princess admonished.

Bankotsu looked at the young woman standing there. Who was she? Why were they taking orders from her? Whatever the reason, she was the one he wanted. He ordered Renkotsu to separate her from the guards with his fire. A wall of flames appeared behind the Princess, cutting her off from her guards. The Princess could see Bankotsu approaching her. Perfect! But before she could say a word, he lifted his halberd to strike her. Without thinking, purely a reflex action, she slammed all of her power into him. He screamed and dropped the halberd, and then fell to the ground. Kouga raced to her side to protect her, but there was no need. She had felled the Demon by herself. What had she done to him? Spurred on by their Princess in danger, InuYasha and Youko Kurama got close enough to kill the other two. Then they raced to her side. She was still trembling. How stupid she had been! It had never occurred to her that Bankotsu would attack her before she could talk to him.

"Are you alright?" InuYasha asked, hugging her. She nodded, grateful for his strong arms.

Youko Kurama was bending down, looking at Bankotsu, who was moaning and writhing on the ground. Then he looked at Aara, "Do you realize what you did to him?" he demanded.

Why is his tone so cold? "I lashed out with my power to protect myself. Why?"

"Look at him! You must have used desire or lust. He is not in pain; he is in need!"

"That is not possible! I wasn't even thinking about passion. I was terrified so my emotion would have been fear, if he was feeling fear, I could understand it, but lust?" She leaned over to look at the moaning young man. Youko Kurama was right! How had she done that? Youko Kurama was furious. He knew how it felt to be taken against your will. He picked up Bankotsu and took him into the house, and then he returned to take the Princess by the arm, none too gently, steering her to the house also, and took her to where Bankotsu was lying on the floor. "You have to relieve his need."

"What? I don't want to bind him. I …."

"You did this to him. Only you can release him. He is now your male, whether you want him or not." Kurama said angrily and then he walked out of the house, leaving her behind with the moaning Demon. The Princess sat on the floor next to Bankotsu. She was furious at Youko Kurama for talking to her like that. Then she looked at the man on the floor. She sighed unhappily. She had no choice. Even though it was accident, she was responsible for the state he was in. She studied the young Demon. He had black hair braided down his back. On his forehead was a purple four-pointed star. His eyes were tightly closed, so she couldn't see what color they were. At least, he was handsome. She sighed again. She really didn't have a choice.

After a short while, she came out of the house. Youko Kurama went to her immediately. "You didn't bind him correctly. I can't feel him." He was right. She was so angry and upset that she had just bound him to herself, but had not bothered with the binding that would bring him into the brotherhood of her males. She ignored him and went directly to her horse and mounted it, not saying a word to anyone. Instead of a Protector for Otherworld, she now had a fourth male and knew absolutely nothing about him except that he was the leader of a group of killers. Or had been, since the Shichinintai were all dead now.

Youko Kurama brought Bankotsu out of the house. He felt feverish and whimpered when he was picked up. What kind of a binding had she used on him? Youko Kurama's heart went out to him. None of this was Bankotsu's fault. He gently put him in the Princess' wagon. InuYasha had already mounted the huge halberd to the undercarriage of the wagon. Kouga left them to rejoin his wolf clan, not quite sure what had happened. He just knew that everyone was either angry or sad. Every day of their journey home was the same, night would fall and Bankotsu would crawl into the wagon, the fire burning inside of him. All because the Princess had not bound him properly. He had no choice but to go to her for relief, but he did so with a look of such hatred that she cringed under his stare. As soon as he was finished, he left, as if unable to bear being near her for a moment longer.

At night he would curl up in a blanket and sleep on the hard ground. Each day he would walk silently behind the wagon. He refused to eat, barely drinking enough water to sustain himself. After the second night, he stopped bothering to get dressed, just wrapped himself in a blanket. By the third day, he stumbled as he walked, the blanket barely covering him, mostly dragging on the ground behind him. There was something terribly wrong with him. It couldn't be just the bad binding! On the fourth day, when they passed a small lake, InuYasha acted. He was very unhappy. The beautiful trip which he had so carefully planned was ruined. As if the Shichinintai were not bad enough, now one of them was traveling with them. And he was the Princess' newest male! Well, if he was going to mate with the Princess, he was going to at least mate clean!

He grabbed a bar of soap from the wagon and then picked up Bankotsu and threw him bodily in the lake's cold water. Then InuYasha went into the water after him and began to roughly scrub him. He ripped the dirty, tattered blanket from his hands and threw it away. He roughly unbraided his hair and washed that too. Bankotsu never protested. He just stood there as InuYasha scrubbed him, his body turning red from the force of the scrubbing. When he was done, InuYasha stomped out of the lake, leaving Bankotsu standing there naked and shivering.

Youko Kurama went in after him and picked him up out of the water and took him to the wagon. The Princess followed him into the wagon, giving InuYasha a glare. That was mean! Inside the wagon Bankotsu sat there, shivering. She wrapped a blanket around him and rubbed him dry. She glanced at his dark blue eyes and no longer saw hatred in them. She smiled, then suddenly looked deeper into his eyes.

There was no hate, there was nothing. They were vacant. She wrapped her arms around him, rocking him gently. "What have I done?" she murmured as tears ran down her face. She had killed his men, his friends. He only came to her because her power was forcing him raping him nightly. She prayed that Kaiba could help him when they got home. The mage was a powerful healer, but this might be too much even for him. InuYasha could hear the Princess crying and sat down, whimpering. Had he made her cry by washing Bankotsu? Youko Kurama saw the look on the Dog Demon's face and told him why she was crying. InuYasha sighed in relief. At least he didn't hurt her. She was everything to him, all his family wrapped up in one person. He would die before hurting her in any way. But he was still miserable because she was sad and crying. He wished they had never started this horrible journey!

After seven long days, they reached the Castle. Caring for Bankotsu had slowed them down to a crawl. When they reached the Castle, the Princess called for Kaiba and told him the story. She left out nothing, admitting her guilt to the young mage. He only nodded. "Take him to his room."

Youko Kurama carried Bankotsu up the stairs to the second room on the left from the Princess' room. Her room was at the end, and the six rooms for her males branched left and right down the hallway. Three of those rooms had been empty, but now only two would be. He took Bankotsu to his room and put him on the bed. Then he left the room, leaving Kaiba and the Princess alone with him.

Kaiba laid Bankotsu down in the middle of the bed, and asked the Princess to lay next to him and to hold him. "Use your power. Cover him in love and comfort, Princess." he said, then got on the bed to lie down behind him. Between them, Bankotsu was surrounded by their warmth. She poured all the love and comfort that she could into him, and Kaiba combined her power with his own to heal him. At the same time that Kaiba healed him, Aara re-bound him the way she should have from the beginning. With gentleness and love, she bound him not only to herself, but also to her other males. They would know him as a brother now.

Slowly, Bankotsu's eyes began to regain their focus and his arms, which had been laying limply at his sides, wrapped around the Princess. His head burrowed into her shoulder, safe in her warmth. Kaiba got up, nodded to her, and left them alone. Bankotsu laid there, feeling warm and safe. Her power was no longer frightening to him. He stayed wrapped around her, afraid to break the spell. Tears began to silently fall. "It was my fault, not yours," he said very softly.

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

"We had taken the fort easily. And Renkotsu had found a barrel of sake and we were just sitting there on the porch, drinking from the barrel, enjoying the quiet after the fight." he said. She stroked his hair and listening to him.

"Jakotsu, he always dressed as a woman...I think he was in love with me, but I felt nothing for him except friendship. But we allowed him…" he swallowed hard, his cheeks reddening, "We all used him for our pleasure."

He buried his head deeper in shame and she had to strain to hear his words, "I was laying on the porch, the sake was good and Jakotsu came to me and he was very skilled. I was just lying there enjoying what he was doing to me, and the others sat there nearby waiting their turn. I was very close to... I was very aroused when your men came through the gate but I just wanted to lie there and savor the feeling. I didn't want to stop and fight. So I didn't move, I just lay there while the others went to fight. I thought that they were just more soldiers and that it would be an easy kill. Then I saw the Wolf Demon run by and realized that my men were in danger. That's when I got up and went out, but I was too late. I saw Jakotsu die in front of me. I still was aroused from what he had been doing to me and suddenly he was dead!"

She could feel his sobs against her shoulder, "I killed them! I choose my own wants over my men and they are all dead because of it."

She now understood what had happened. She had not thrown desire at him, she had just thrown power, but since his body was aroused, her power had augmented that emotion hundredfold and then she had compounded everything by binding him with anger and not love. His breakdown had been a result of the combination of his guilt and her anger.

"Neither of us can undo what was done." she told him, lifting his head and looking into his dark blue eyes, "The only thing we can do is go on from here. From this minute. We will both put guilt aside and start over." She kissed the star on his forehead and he smiled for the first time.


	12. Chapter 12: The invitation

**Chapter 12 - The Invitation**

 **Otherworld, Present Time**

The Princess woke up in the middle of the night. For once she was in her own bedroom, snuggled warmly under the blankets. The nights were getting chilly now. The times she got to be in her own bed were rare. She sighed. Oh, well! The price of having four males. She wondered if Arina, her sister with 12 males, ever got to sleep alone at all. The binding worked both ways. Just as her males were bound to her, she was bound to them. And she was always aware of their emotions. Right now one of them was having a nightmare. Bankotsu! She slipped from her warm bed into the chilly night. She quickly left her room and slipped into his. He was muttering in a restless sleep. She slid under his covers and wrapped her arms around him. He quieted almost immediately and burrowed his head in her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her. On the outside he also seemed so happy and content, but she knew his nightmares and how often they came to him. She drifted off to sleep wrapped in his warmth. mmm, he was much better than her blankets!

She woke just as the sun was beginning to rise and slipped from Bankotsu's arms. He was sleeping soundly. As she did every morning, she checked on them, one by one. Hiei was curled in a ball, as usual, the covers a tangled mess and no longer covering him at all. She untangled them. She must have done this every morning! When she was with him, he slept quietly in her arms, but when he was alone, his bed looked like a war had been fought in it. It wasn't nightmares, she would have known that instantly he was just a restless sleeper. She managed to get him untangled without waking him. A feat in and of itself! She pulled the covers around him and his little body began to relax as it warmed up. She smoothed the bangs from his forehead, the Jagan eye covered by its warding cloth, and kissed his cheek.

Without thinking she walked into Kurama's room. His empty room. She sat on his bed, running her hand over the smooth covers. He was hurt again. Damn Naraku! That miserable Demon prevented her from leaving the Castle. Naraku had been nothing, just a simple Demon, until he got a hold of enough shards to fuse them into almost a third of the whole crystal. Now he was wreaking havoc all over the lands. Recently InuYasha had managed to hurt him badly and he had gone into hiding. She left Kurama's empty room and went to InuYasha's room. The Dog Demon was sleeping, curled on his side. Years of sleeping outside in the cold had trained him to sleep tightly balled, the same as Hiei did. She brushed his soft furry ears and kissed his forehead. "Don't go." he sleepily murmured. "You are sad." More than anyone else InuYasha was in touch with her feelings, almost as much as she was his. Maybe it was the dog part of him that made him so sensitive. She joined him. Ah! He was nice and warm. She snuggled into him.

"Why are you sad?" he asked, waking up more.

"I went into Kurama's room before I remembered he was not there to check on."

"Kouga is there watching over him."

"Kouga went with Kagome," she reminded him.

She knew the real reason why they had gone to the Human World. Time stopped for humans from the Human World while they were in Otherworld and that meant that Kagome could not conceive. She had to go to the Human World for her body to begin its natural cycle again. And she and Kouga had been trying for two years now without success. They would go to her family's home and spend a few days there. But that was not easy on Kagome, to go to her family's home just to have sex with her mate. So when this opportunity presented itself, Kouga immediately volunteered to go. The Princess was well aware of the real reason, she gave her consent anyway. Kurama was fairly safe in the Human World, even without a guard. The new portal had been warded by Bakura and it would take a very powerful Demon to break those wards. Naraku might have been able to before he was hurt. Those miserable portals were always appearing. She was sure it was Demon World trying to make a huge portal to the Human World. Their failures kept creating these little portals. Most of the portals would disappear in a few days, but this was the third one that had become permanent.

"I will go to the portal today," InuYasha promised, "And watch over Kurama until he is ready to return. He should be waking up soon and I don't want him to be alone."

"Thank you. That will make me rest easier," she said. She reached up and began to stroke the soft inside edge of his ear. InuYasha trembled when she touched that part of his ear and then moved his body against hers. "If you are going to be away for a few days…." she said with a smile.

 **Tokyo 1878**

As usual, Kenshin woke up very early and opened the door to the porch, on his way to the bathhouse. He nearly fell over Sanosuke lying there on the floor, wrapped in a blanket.

"What are you doing here?"

"There is no way I can sleep in my room," he complained. "Kouga may not howl, but he is still noisy. He growls! And it didn't seem like they were ever going to go to sleep. So I gave up and slept here."

Kenshin nodded. He wasn't surprised, seeing the way Kagome and Kouga looked at each other.

"I will ask Katsu if I can bunk with him tonight."

Kenshin smiled. Sanosuke refused to live with Katsu, but used any excuse to spend a night with him. Didn't Sanosuke realize that it would make no difference to any of them? Katsu and Sanosuke had known each other from childhood, both in Sagaro's army during the wars. And their friendship had grown into love. Katsu was now a gifted artist and a gentle soul, and Kenshin liked him a lot. He had a calming effect on Sanosuke's wild ways. The morning passed, and finally around noon, Kagome and Kouga appeared. "Sorry we're so late." Kagome said, and then seeing their knowing looks, she blushed.

"Well, at least you don't howl!" Sanosuke said to Kouga.

Kagome then explained about the time problem in Otherworld and how they were trying to conceive. Kaoru hugged her and told her than she and Kouga should stay until Kurama was ready to leave. Kagome was overjoyed. Now they might have a chance! She wanted to give Kouga a son so badly! A short while later Miss Megume arrived to check on Kurama. When she and Kouga moved him to change the bandages, he woke up. Glancing around the strange room, he murmured, "Where did I end up?"

"In Toyko, year 1878." Kouga told him. And then filled him in on the events of Otherworld, how Hiei had tracked him, found the portal that he had gone through, and how they had been taking turns watching over him. He told him about Kenshin, Kaoru and Sanosuke. Miss Megume continued with his bandages, noticing that his deep wounds were healing well. It was mostly the massive blood loss that had kept him asleep, as his body replenished his strength. He asked for water, and she gently lifted his head to let him drink. Hearing that Kurama was finally awake, everyone came in his room and Kouga introduced them.

"I am very grateful for your care," he said, "I doubt that I would have lived without your help." He still tired easily and soon drifted back to sleep.

At dusk, there came a loud knock on the door. Kenshin rushed to open it, and there stood InuYasha, the Hanyou dog Demon. Sanosuke, Kaoru and Yahiko all rushed to meet him. He was adorable, large golden eyes, snow white hair and the cutest ears. Sanosuke reached to touch them and almost got clawed.

"No one touches my ears!" InuYasha snarled, while thinking to himself, "except the Princess."

Outside the door was a huge package wrapped in paper. InuYasha brought it inside to the garden area and tore the wrapping off it with his claws, revealing a large, elaborately carved bench for the dojo's gardens. A present from the Princess. It was exquisite and Kaoru burst into tears. She had never imagined owning something like this. Only the very wealthy could afford these kinds of luxuries.

At that moment, Kouga appeared, and called out, "Hey, Puppy! Did you get your shots before coming?"

"Mangy Wolf!" InuYasha retorted, growling deep in his throat. Kaoru backed away from him hastily, until Kagome explained that it was only playful banter and that they did this all the time. That evening, Kaoru decided to try her hand at cooking, and managed to prove once again that she was a terrible cook. This time she set the oven on fire. Everyone ran to help and soon the fire was out but the kitchen was filled with smoke. InuYasha suddenly moaned and plummeted to the floor. Kouga started laughing, picked the Dog Demon up and dragged him outside on the porch, where he lay there groaning. Kagome rubbed his back, trying to soothe him.

"What happened to him?" asked Kenshin.

"Dog." Kouga explained with his usual tact. "Noses are too sensitive and smells get to them."

Kenshin started a new dinner, Kaoru was banished from the kitchen while Yahiko and Sanosuke cleaned up. Dinner was finally served, very late, but InuYasha couldn't eat anything. He still lay there on the porch, as Kouga put it, "Sick as a dog!" Then he burst into peals of laughter. InuYasha was too sick to even growl. After a pleasant dinner and after dinner conversation, it was time for bed. InuYasha crawled to the porch area outside of Kurama's room and lay there miserably. "Shall we put out a bowl of water for you?" asked Kouga. He knew he would eventually pay for all the teasing, but it was well worth it. It was not often that InuYasha was down and out. Even a wound that went through his entire body would barely slow him down. Kouga thought it was hilarious that mere smoke could fell him. Kagome dragged Kouga away before he said even more.

She knew that InuYasha was very sensitive about being dog-like, but it was hard to ignore his very doglike traits: he tended to sniff the ground when searching for something, he often sat like a dog, and had very acute hearing and sense of smell. Kouga could easily tease him because he didn't have wolf-like traits that InuYasha could tease him about. He acted and looked more like a man than a wolf something that Kagome had trouble understanding considering that InuYasha was only half Dog Demon and Kouga was entirely Wolf Demon.

In the morning, InuYasha was back to normal, but famished. He ate all of his portion and quite a bit of everyone else's also. He ate with his hands, rapidly stuffing food into his mouth. Kouga didn't dare tease him about his manners; at home, Kouga ate with his hands, tearing raw meat with his sharp teeth. At least InuYasha ate his food cooked. Kagome, who had to deal with both of them for several years now, ignored them both. She knew that they had terrible table manners and even the Princess had given up trying to teach InuYasha which utensil to use. When she could get him to use a spoon instead of his hands, she considered it a victory.

Kurama woke up later than morning and asked to be taken outside. He wanted some fresh air. InuYasha easily picked him up, blankets and all, and took him to the new bench. He sat there surrounded by everyone, propped up with pillows, and listened to InuYasha tell of Naraku's recent defeat at his hands. The Dog Demon was proud of his accomplishment, but blushed when they praised him. Kenshin decided he liked InuYasha very much. He was very sweet under all that bluster and Kenshin could see what the Princess must have seen in him. He had no pretenses or conceits at all.

Kurama was feeling much stronger, and talked to Kenshin, Kaoru and Sanosuke about Otherworld's time enigma. Humans that were born in Otherworld did not age. It was like time stopped for them. Since he had become human, he had spent over two years, off and on, in the Human World to age himself. He did not want to be a 14-year-old boy forever. Now he was a little over 16 in human years. He would age himself a little more over the next few years. "About 18 would be better. It feels so strange to be over a thousand years old and have the body of a teenager."

To his surprise and dismay, Kurama found out that everyone knew his life's story. "I have no secrets!" he exclaimed. "Even Hiei who never says anything, told you about my first meeting with Princess Aara?" But he was not really upset and he laughed good-naturedly. InuYasha joined them and gave Kenshin an envelope that he had been carrying from the Princess. It was an invitation to visit Otherworld. Kurama would be going home in a few days and she asked that they join Kurama, to meet her and to visit Otherworld. They could bring whomever they wished. Sanosuke wanted to go. Otherworld intrigued him. Kenshin was hesitant, but Kaoru talked him into it. Yahiko didn't want to go. He didn't like the idea of not aging. It might be fine when you were grown, but he was still a child. They began to decide whom to invite on their journey. Both Miss Megume and Katsu were mentioned.

The next few days were spent preparing for the journey to Otherworld. Yahiko would stay and care for the dojo. Both Miss Megume and Katsu accepted the invitation to join them on the trip. Katsu had heard all about Otherworld from Sanosuke and wanted to sketch the Princess, if she would let him. When Kurama heard that he could draw, he asked Sanosuke to bring Katsu to see him. Katsu came the very next day and Kurama asked him to draw him sketches of the dojo, all the buildings and the layout. Katsu wasn't sure why he wanted the sketches, but he did what Kurama asked. Finally, the day arrived when they would go to Otherworld. They all gathered at the portal. InuYasha went in first, followed by Kenshin. Then Kagome and Kaoru, Sanosuke, Katsu and Megume. Kouga carried Kurama through last. Kurama took a deep breath when he reached the other side. He was finally on his way home.


	13. Chapter 13: Homecoming

**Chapter 13 - The Homecoming**

 **Otherworld, Present Time**

"He is coming home!" the Princess said as she looked out of Kaiba's tower. Today Kurama would go through the portal, and in three days time she would be holding him safely in her arms.

"You won't be able to see him for another three days even from here," Kaiba said smiling as he watched her staring out of the narrow window.

"I know, but at least I know he's getting closer."

There was a small knock on the door and Kaiba answered it. A servant stood there, a young boy, trembling because he was in front of one of the great mages.

"I have a message for the Princess," he said, not daring to look up at Kaiba. "There is an emissary at the gate. He says he is from The Four Gods World. From Suzaku."

"Thank you. Have him shown to the study and I will come down shortly."

"From Suzaku?" said Kaiba after the boy had scurried away, "They have never shown any interest in Otherworld before, and we have never been inside their borders. I wonder what they want."

"Perhaps you should go with me when I speak to him."

"No, take Bakura. He will intimidate much better than I will." Kaiba said with a smile.

Bakura joined her shortly and together they went to the study. "Let's see what Suzaku wants with Otherworld." she said to him as they entered the study.

The emissary was a young man, very handsome, with dark teal colored hair, which he wore in a long thin braid down his back, and large violet eyes. He looked up when they approached and if Bakura's look startled him he hid it well, bowing to the Princess.

"I am Tamahome of Suzaku, speaking on behalf of our emperor, Hotohori. The Emperor would like to form an alliance with Otherworld. He begs that you travel to the city of Heika which is on the border between our lands to a meeting 11 days from today."

He reached out his hand towards her, "You may use your power on me so that you may know that no harm is planned. And you may bring as many guards as you wish," nodding to Bakura, "Including the powerful Demon mage who stands beside you. We know of Bakura's power and we also know that you rarely travel without him."

"Why does Suzaku want an alliance with Otherworld after all this time?" she asked.

"I am not at liberty to say more than I have. The Emperor will explain everything at the meeting."

She touched his offered hand, looking into his eyes as she did. She noticed that on his forehead was a red rune. He was telling the truth about the meeting. There was no malice in the young man, but he knew more than he was saying. He knew the reason behind the request, but was pledged to silence.

"We will leave in seven days. Until then you are a guest in my home."

The Princess had Tamahome escorted to a room and Bakura also took his leave. The meeting would be ten days from tomorrow. It would take her four days to get to Heika since she had to travel through the Northern Mountains. Kurama would arrive in two days. That would leave her only four days to be with him.

 **Three Days Later**

It was late afternoon when the group arrived at the castle. A multitude of servants took their carry-alls and led them to wonderful, luxurious rooms. Kurama and InuYasha went to their own rooms. Sanosuke and Katsu were given a room together, which caused Sanosuke to raise an eyebrow. How did they know? Kenshin and Kaoru had their own rooms, but they were next to each other. Miss Megume was down the hall from Sanosuke. They were shown how to use the indoor plumbing and the first thing everyone did was take a hot bath. Kenshin was amazed. Hot water appearing at the turn of a handle. It was wonderful! At dusk, servants brought them all to the dining hall where the Princess was waiting. Kenshin was stunned by her. She was so beautiful! She was taller than he was, but not as tall as Sanosuke. They nodded greetings to Bankotsu, InuYasha, Hiei and a newly healed Kurama, and also to Kagome and Kouga.

As they were being seated, the air suddenly grew heavy and thick with a feeling of power and energy. The two mages walked into the room. They were both young men, tall and slender. One of them looked very human, with long dark purple hair and intense blue eyes. He was Kaiba, the Otherworld-born mage the healer. The other's appearance was terrifying, Bakura, the Demon mage. He had blue skin and wild, long black hair. His face had black Demon markings, but it was his eyes that were the most terrifying. His corneas were not white like humans, but deep yellow and his irises and pupils were blood red.

They nodded to the Princess who introduced them to everyone. Kaiba was seated next to Miss Megume, who immediately plied him with a thousand questions. He good naturedly listened to them and answered what he could. Bakura sat quietly between Hiei and Kenshin. As the evening progressed, Kenshin realized that the young mage was embarrassed by his looks and was extremely shy. Bakura would have been much happier left alone in his tower or covered by his black hood and cloak, but the Princess would allow neither. He had been feared since the day of his birth, when his own mother cried out in terror when she saw her son. The Princess was the only one who had never shown any fear of him. Her powers allowed her to see the man inside and she saw his good heart. She refused to let him be a hermit in his tower and dragged him to most events. When she went out of the Castle, he usually went with her, not only because he could protect her from nearly every danger, but also because she insisted that he see the world around him.

Bakura, for his part, had fallen hopelessly in love with the Princess. He almost wished that he had let her bind him just to become one of her males, but never would say anything about that to her. He felt he was far more effective unbound using his power to help and protect her and her lands. She needed him in that role, so he loved her silently. Kaiba glanced at his fellow mage, a small smile playing on his lips. He knew that Bakura thought his love for the Princess a deep secret from everyone but the Princess herself. Since the Princess was an empath, there was no way he could keep his feelings a secret from her.

When the meal ended, the group went to the library to talk. Kaiba found himself standing next to Kouga and Kagome. He accidentally touched Kagome on her arm and then suddenly put his hand on her stomach. Kagome jumped in surprise and Kouga began to growl. Kaiba's touch lasted only a moment, then he bent to her and whispered in her ear. She suddenly burst into tears. Kouga was now ready to kill him, mage or no mage. What had he done to her? Kagome grabbed his arm before he could leap on Kaiba and pulled him to her, hugging him tight, whispering in his ear, "We're going to have a baby!" Kouga looked at her and then hugged her even tighter. Soon the whole room was congratulating them. Their stay at Kaoru's dojo had done the trick. Kaiba, the healer mage, had felt her pregnancy the second he touched her, touching her stomach just to make sure.

After everyone had gone to bed, the Princess made her rounds, checking each of them. Kurama was already asleep, worn out from the long day. Even though Kaiba had healed his wounds, his strength had not returned yet. She tucked him in and kissed his forehead. "Welcome home, my Love," she whispered.

Hiei was just starting to get undressed. She went to him, running her hands over his well-defined muscles. "I will come back to you. InuYasha has been apart from me for a while now."

"I will be waiting," he said, smiling at the promise. He preferred being second, because that meant that she would stay the rest of the night with him and he loved sleeping in her arms.

Bankotsu was already asleep. She made sure the covers were tucked around him and then went to InuYasha's room. The Dog Demon was sitting on the bed waiting. She had promised him earlier that she would come to him first. She picked up a brush from the dresser and sat next to him on the bed, brushing his long white hair.

"You are so beautiful, InuYasha. White hair, fair skin and golden eyes." He blushed, and she hugged him. "And you have no idea how fair you are, do you?"

"Sesshomaru is beautiful. Kurama is beautiful. Bankotsu is handsome. Hiei is cute." he counted them off.

"And InuYasha is also beautiful." She put down the brush, stood up to help him pull off his nightshirt, then removed her own robe and slid into the soft bed. She held out her arms to her beloved Dog Demon.

Afterwards, InuYasha settled contently at her breast. She was gently rubbing his ears and between the two sensations, he was drifting contently to sleep. "So Kagome and Kouga are going to have a baby." she said to herself. She was watching him, his mouth working at her nipple, when a thought occurred to her. InuYasha had razor sharp fangs yet he never hurt her at all.

"Your mother was human." she asked, "How did you nurse without hurting her with your fangs?"

He stopped, wondering why she was asking, but answered anyway, "When my teeth came in, I did hurt my mother badly. She bled a lot and could not feed me. I remember crying from hunger. She put gruel on her finger for me to suck off. If I bit her, she would take away her finger. I learned not to bite because I was so hungry. Then after she healed, I nursed without hurting her. Why do you ask?"

"Because Kagome is probably going to have a baby with fangs and I'm sure she would like to know."

InuYasha sat up. "You're going to tell Kagome! You going to tell her that I ….I…" he blushed deep red.

The Princess laughed at his blush, "I will leave that part out. I will just tell her how your mother trained you," she pulled him down for a kiss, "You know you are not the only one who enjoys a woman's breasts. And I'm sure Kouga himself has enjoyed Kagome's many times." And then laughed again as he turned even redder.

Later that night, after a long hot bath, the Princess kept her promise and went to Hiei. He was patiently waiting for her, leaning on the balcony ledge. She went outside to him and slipped her arm around his shoulders. She reached down with her other hand and gently stroked him. He moaned softly and lifted his face to hers for a deep kiss. He loved her so much! He was completely happy. He would spend the night wrapped in his Princess' arms and he could think of no other place that he would rather be.

 **The Next Morning**

The Princess gathered her visitors and extended her invitation: come and live in Otherworld. She would have a replica of the dojo built at Kaede's village, next to Kagome's home. Katsu realized that was the reason behind the drawings he did for Kurama. This was Kurama's idea. Kaoru burst into tears. Kenshin could be free from his past. The officials that came begging him for help and the assassins who wanted to take his life would never be able to find him. She accepted on the spot, but Kenshin was full of doubt. Sanosuke and Katsu wanted to think about it. Megume wasn't sure, she could help the people here but she also could do the same in her own world. The day passed, each of them wrapped in their own thoughts.


	14. Chapter 14: Kenshin

**Chapter 14 - Kenshin**

That evening the Princess sent for him, and Kenshin walked slowly down the corridor to the sitting room. The Princess was waiting there, waiting for him. He knew about her powers from the stories he had heard. What was she planning to do? He took a deep breath and opened the door. She sat there in flickering firelight, her face serene. She smiled gently at him and beckoned him closer. He could feel her peace, and he envied it. He had never known peace in his entire life.

To live in Otherworld… it was a chance for happiness, maybe his only one. But did he deserve happiness after all the blood he had shed? Happiness? He had known so little of it in the 28 years of his life. As a very young child, his parents had died of cholera and he had been sold into slavery. But when slavers were killed by bandits, he alone was saved by a man who would teach him how to use the sword. How to kill. As a teenager, he had become an assassin for the Imperialist army in their war with the Shogunites. He had been so full of ideals, of foolish hopes for a better world for everyone. The only thing he had accomplished had been to give many a violent, bloody death. Too many! Ten years of wandering, trying to use his sword for good, had not erased one drop of the rivers of blood he had spilled. He would never get the blood off his hands no matter how hard he tried.

Princess Aara looked at the small, delicate looking man who knelt before her. On his cheek was a terrible scar. His liquid violet eyes seemed at first glance innocent and wide, but there was an ocean of pain in their depths. She gently reached out and touched the scarred cheek, and was flooded with his guilt. Only a child when he became an assassin, his whole psyche was seeped in guilt. He believed he would never atone for his sins. She grieved for him and brought him closer, wrapping her arms around her. Aara could never take away all this guilt.

She lifted his face to hers, "Kenshin, dearest Kenshin," she thought, stroking the scarred cheek, "How can I stop your pain? How can I give you hope?" She brushed his wild red hair back and kissed his forehead lightly, the barest whisper of a kiss.

Her mind was racing, there had to something she could do for him. Kenshin would not stay in Otherworld for he felt that he did not deserve the chance. But Otherworld was his only hope for a future. The Human World could only promise him more pain and an early death.

She probed his emotions deeper and he whimpered at the intrusion. "Forgive me" she whispered, holding him tightly as she pushed her power into him. He groaned..it hurt! There! Under the ocean of guilt, a tiny ray of hope. Kaoru! He loved her deeply but he thought himself undeserving of Kaoru's love. She was the key! Princess Aara pulled her power back and he sighed in relief. She was still holding him tight, but he did not pull away. There was so much love in her touch. Even when she hurt him, he could feel the love. For one small moment, he envied her males. They lived in this joy.

"Go rest, Kenshin dear." she told him, "and I will come for you tomorrow morning."

The next morning, Princess went first to Kaoru's room. "I have a question for you, Kaoru, and let me take your hand while you answer." She reached for Kaoru's hand and asked, "What are you willing to do to heal Kenshin?"

"Anything!" she said, a determined tone in her voice. But the Princess ignored the words and felt her emotions. She could feel Kaoru's deep love for Kenshin. It was pure with no judgment or holding back. It was exactly what Aara had hoped for. "I have a request."

"I will do anything for Kenshin." Kaoru repeated.

"You must be willing to give yourself totally to him. Do you understand what I am asking?"

Kaoru blushed, then nodded. The Princess looked in her eyes, and softly said, "Your love can heal him."

Kaoru saw the promise in her eyes, "I will be waiting."

Then the Princess went to Kenshin's room where he was nervously waiting.

She knocked lightly, but walked in before he answered. "Come with me." she said.

Together they walked up the long winding stairs to the South Tower. At the top was a strange room, filled with crystals, jars, herbs, and many strange devices. Kaiba stood there waiting, holding a thin blanket. He nodded to the Princess.

"Trust me," the Princess said to Kenshin, and lowered them both to the floor so that she was sitting and he was partially in her lap, his head resting on her shoulder. With Kaiba's help, she began to undress him, covering him with the blanket as she did. He gave himself to their hands, his body pliant. He did not know what they were doing, but he trusted the Princess completely.

Princess Aara winced as terrible scars were uncovered. A sword cut there, a badly healed bone, a pulled muscle, even a bite mark on his shoulder. She felt as if she was drowning in his pain, but to accomplish what she wanted to do, she had to be emotionally connected to him. So she gritted her teeth against the onslaught and deepened her connection until he was naked, covered lightly by the blanket.

Her golden eyes met Kaiba's blue ones. He nodded and they began. One scar, one torn muscle, one pulled tendon at a time, Kaiba placed his hands over them and healed them. Her power augmented Kaiba's healing power and the scars began to disappear, the broken bones knitted correctly, and the torn tendons relaxed. Kaiba's hands were hot with his power and Kenshin was surrounded by their warmth. Throughout the morning they worked, until there was only one scar left. She brought his face from her shoulder.

"You've held on to this pain long enough," she whispered to him.

Kaiba placed his hand over the cross-shaped scar on his left cheek and finally, after ten long years, it began to heal. When he removed his hand, it was gone.

The Princess walked into Kaoru's room after softly knocking, with Kaiba carrying an emotionally exhausted Kenshin. She asked Kaoru to sit on the bed and Kaiba placed Kenshin partially on Kaoru's lap with his head was resting on her shoulder, almost a copy of his previous position on Aara's lap. Kaoru wrapped her arms around him.

"Kenshin," the Princess whispered in his ear, "Feel Kaoru's love for you." And then she embraced them both and poured her power into them. She opened Kenshin's heart to Kaoru's love. Kenshin suddenly felt Kaoru's complete and unconditional love and he whimpered softly. It was overwhelming and wonderful at the same time. Tears slid down his cheek. For the first time in his life, he had hope.

"He is yours now, Kaoru," she said as she moved away from them and slipped out of the room.

Kaoru kissed his now unscarred cheek. She wasn't sure what to do, but she let her instincts and her love guide her. She covered him in kisses and Kenshin trembled in her arms, buried in the warmth of her love. With the power of her love, she healed his heart.


	15. Chapter 15: Hiten

**Chapter 15- Hiten**

 **Otherworld: Five Days Ago**

The Demon woke up, feeling a warm body next to his. How long had he been with this same female? Over a week? He had never done that before! Usually, it was just grab the prettiest female he could find, use her for a few days, and then get rid of her in a flash of lightning. Why hadn't he done that to this female? He glanced at her. She was watching him, but she showed no fear at all. Maybe she had at first but after a couple of days she didn't show any fear at all. And she touched him, her hands velvet; none of the others ever touch him. Sex had always been more rape than anything else, not that it mattered to him, just as long as his needs were fulfilled. What was different about this human female? She ran her hands down the small of his back, trailing down over the curve of his butt, exciting him instantly.

After he finished, he lay there, basking in the afterglow. It felt so good! Even her scent was good. He took a deep breath, to bring her scent in and suddenly turned to her, smelling her deeply. She smelled different now! Why? It suddenly came to him! He looked at her, surprise written on his face. "You're pregnant." He placed his hands on her stomach, and felt his child's presence. "I impregnated you." he said again, mostly to himself. His thoughts were a jumble. He felt her move closer to him and he put his arms around her, unconsciously protecting her. She was no longer just a way to release sexual tension; she was now his family. "Do you live here alone?" she asked, talking to him for the first time. The house was silent and she had seen no one since her arrival two weeks ago. It stood empty, run down as if it had been abandoned for a long time. There was no joy or warmth in this house. There was a little food and water, which she took while he slept. Escape was not possible; the house was high in the mountains and she had no idea where she was.

"I used to have a brother, but he was killed." he replied. He was now hunted because of his brother. His brother had tried to kidnap the wrong girl: Kagome. Neither of the brothers realized that she was protected by one of the Princess' males, InuYasha, and was the mate of the wolf clan leader, Kouga. Now his brother was dead, and they would eventually find and kill him also. Kagome could lead them directly to the three crystal shards in his forehead.

"My name is Serafin. What is your name? And what was your brother's name," she asked.

"I am Hiten and my brother was Manten."

"If our baby is a boy, let's name him Manten for your brother."

He looked at her, surprised. He kissed her gently. He had never kissed a human before. She deepened the kiss and he responded to her. She was his family now, she carried his child and he had to protect her. Serafin had been terrified when the Demon had dropped out of the sky and grabbed her. He flew high in the air on wheels of fire to this house. She knew that he was a Demon and that he had taken other women from the village. Sometimes the women were never found; other times, their scorched bodies were found after a few days. She had no hopes of living, but she was pragmatic, so she made the best of her predicament.

He was not cruel. When he took her for the first time, he was not gentle, but he was not brutal either. He seemed to want nothing else from her but sex, Taking her over and over until he was exhausted, and then he slept. It had been like that now for two weeks. Something inside of her told her that as long as he wanted her, she would stay alive. So she encouraged him, touching him, running her hands over his body. And now she was pregnant by him. Everything had changed. His touch became gentle and he enveloped her in strong arms. She looked at Hiten. He was almost human looking for a Demon. He had dark hair which he wore in a long braid, although now it was loose, and gold earrings dangling from his ears. His eyes were the worst, long ovals of deep red but she had gotten used to them. He had fangs like most Demons did, but he was not bad to look at.. actually, he was quite handsome.

Hiten had to change his future. Two weeks ago, the only thing he had wanted was revenge, knowing that he would surely die but hoping that he could kill InuYasha before his death. But he had not been able to find InuYasha, so he had taken this woman instead, trying to drown his grief and anger in her body. But now, revenge was no longer that important. His unborn child was!

"We are going to the castle."

"Castle?" she questioned as he pulled her from the bed.

He handed her clothes and she put them on. She helped him braid his long hair after he dressed. Then he gathered his belongings, stuffing them into a leather satchel, which he threw over his shoulder. He then added the small wheels of fire to his boots which gave him the ability to fly, grabbed his thunder pike, picked up Serafin, and took to the sky.

 **Otherworld, Present Time**

After healing Kenshin, the Princess spent as much time as she could with Kurama. He still

tired easily, his wounds had been terrible and he had lost nearly two-thirds of his entire

body's blood. No human could have survived his injuries and she was very grateful that he

had been able to get his Demon powers back. They spent their time together taking slow

walks through the gardens or sitting on his balcony in the sun, quietly talking. He was getting

stronger daily.

The Princess was on Kurama's balcony when a servant came running to her. There was a problem at the gate, some Demon had arrived and was asking for her. InuYasha had already gone to meet the mysterious stranger. The Princess ran swiftly down the stairs to the gate. A Demon stood there with a human female at his side. He kept asking for an audience with the Princess, his hands spread open, offering no resistance. InuYasha already had Tetsusaiga drawn. Suddenly, Kouga swept by her and leapt on the Demon.

"No!" Aara called. "I want to hear what he wants."

"This is Hiten." InuYasha told her. "He only wants revenge. I killed his brother when they attacked Kagome a few weeks ago."

"Kouga! Stop!" she commanded. The angry Wolf Demon released Hiten, growling deep within his throat, his eyes enraged. She went to Hiten and the young woman that he had brought with him. Hiten knelt on the ground before her. She lifted his face to look into his eyes. There was no malice in his red eyes or in the emotions she felt when she touched him.

"Come into the Castle." she said, ignoring the protests from both InuYasha and Kouga. She took the woman's hand and walked them both into her castle. Hiten knelt before her and related his story, and begged for life, not for himself so much as for his child and the human female who carried it. He vowed never to take revenge for the death of his brother and asked to become one of the Protectors of Otherworld. He was a powerful Thunder Demon like Bankotsu, able to wield lightning, and he knew his value.

The Princess listened to him as he knelt before her, using her power to feel the truth behind his words. She could tell that these emotions were very new to him, but he was sincere. His brother had been the whole world to him, his only family, and after his brother's death, Hiten had been angry and sad, but more than anything, he had been alone. Very alone. And now this human woman was giving him a chance for a new family. This Demon's heart had been opened. She had seen it happen so many times before. Kouga had been a killer, using humans to feed his wolves, before he became one of her Protectors. He had become a Protector only to save his clan from annihilation, but then he fell in love with Kagome and everything had changed for him. Now he would protect all humans with his very life. Kurama had also been a cold-hearted Demon, until his human mother taught him how to love.

InuYasha was more fortunate, having learned love in his mother's arms. He never had a Demon's cold heart like his brother. The Princess hoped that someday Sesshomaru would feel that warmth and his heart would thaw. But she would take credit for Hiei though; giving the Fire Demon love for the first time. Perhaps that's why Hiei was so special to her. Hiten's heart had never been completely cold because of his feelings for his younger brother; and now a human had warmed his heart even more. She looked deep into his red oval eyes and smiled, touching his face gently.

"I accept you as a Protector. You will keep your shards. You and Serafin can live in the Castle. Kurama is in charge of the Protectors and he will tell you what to do. Right now, let's get you a suite of rooms to live in and some clothing for Serafin."

Hiten stood and bowed to his Princess. She had spared his life and given him a future when two days ago he had nothing. He vowed to serve her faithfully until the day he died. Once they were alone in their rooms, he took Serafin in his arms and kissed her deeply.

"You are my family now. You and my child." Hiten looked at her, seeing her as his mate for the first time. She was pretty for a human, with long blond hair and clear blue eyes. Serafin wrapped her arms around Hiten. She had heard his pleas to the Princess, and knew that he had gone on his knees for her and the baby she carried. She knew it had not been easy for this proud Demon to beg. After watching him supplicate himself before the Princess, she realized that she could learn to love this man and the child she carried.

The Princess had Toutousai, the sword master who had created Tetsusaiga, create a special sword for Kenshin. Hiei took him to a safe place to practice with it. The sword was in a scabbard enameled in red metal and wrought with gold scrollwork. The sword itself was perfectly balanced, the metal folded a hundred times, and its blade covered in runes. Hiei told Kenshin to put his energy force into it; something Kenshin had learned from his own swordsmanship. Kenshin concentrated for a moment and then poured energy into the sword. Suddenly, flames licked the edge of blade. It was a sword of fire. He swept the sword in front of him and flames fanned out from it. It was the most beautiful sword he had ever held and he was overwhelmed by the gift. When he got back to the castle, he immediately went to see the Princess who was with Kurama on his balcony.

"I cannot thank you enough for this gift," he said, touching the new sword at his side.

"It seemed fitting for you," she replied smiling, "If you have to fight here, it will be against Demons and you will need more than skill, you will need power. This sword can give you power."

She looked at Kenshin, and then at Kurama. "I have another gift, but I think Kurama would be better giving it to you. I will leave you both alone."

Kenshin bowed his head as she left, and looked askance at Kurama. He pointed to a large paper bag just inside his room and asked Kenshin to bring it him. From it, Kurama pulled out several packages, each wrapped in cellophane.

"Kenshin, let me explain the wonders of underwear to you…" he began, for Kenshin still wore a loincloth under his clothes. Kenshin reddened with embarrassment and then his eyes grew wide with wonderment. What an incredible world this was!

A/N: Enjoy the companion piece: "The Red-Eyed Demon"


	16. Chapter 16: The seven warriors

**Chapter 16 - The Seven Warriors**

The visitors left the Castle two days later. Kagome wanted to go to her own time to tell her parents the news and Kouga needed to tell his clan. He could now feel his child's presence in Kagome's womb. He was going to have a son! Kenshin and Kaoru would go first to check on the progress of the new dojo and then go to their own world to pack their belongings. InuYasha went with them to help them bring everything back and to protect them on their trip. Sanosuke and Katsu both decided to live in Otherworld and they too needed to return to pack. Miss Megume decided she was needed more in the Human World so Kaoru gave her and Yahiko a joint deed to her old dojo. Miss Megume could turn it into a clinic and Yahiko would always have a home. On the morning of fourth day, The Princess set out for the northern border and her meeting with Emperor Hotohori. She took Hiten and Bankotsu with her. She felt that two Thunder Demons would be enough to protect her and she wanted to make Hiten feel welcome, especially since he was having so much trouble with InuYasha and Kouga. She liked the Demon a lot and loved his flying fire wheels. During the trip, Hiten would carry her into the sky and let her see the lands for miles around. It was a most enjoyable trip!

Tamahome was also happy to be on the road and going home. He missed his friends and family, although he had enjoyed his stay in Otherworld very much. He had not expected the Princess and her Demon males to be so open and friendly. The only Demons he had ever met before were lower class Demons who were trying to kill him. He hadn't realized that the higher the class of Demon, the more human they appeared. Early afternoon on the third day, they arrived at the village where the meeting was to take place. The Princess and her entourage were shown to a suite of rooms, consisting of three bedrooms and a common sitting room. That evening she was led to the great hall, with Bankotsu and Hiten walking on either side of her. The Emperor stood waiting for her. Emperor Hotohori was very young, around twenty, and very handsome, with long dark hair and large amber eyes. His voice was cultured and refined. He nodded to her and asked them to dine with him. Over a small dinner for the four of them, Hotohori told her of his dilemma and why he needed an alliance.

The Four Gods World was divided into four kingdoms and there had always been strife between them. The kingdoms of Seiryuu and Suzaku had been bitter enemies for centuries and another war was brewing. The last war had killed his father and put Hotohori on the throne at the age of 14. The Emperor did not want another war and was desperately trying to find a way to prevent it. His army was greatly outnumbered and they would not be able to stand long against Seiryuu. Suzaku's eastern edge was bordered by the Northern Lands of Demon World, Raizen's lands. If the Princess could extend the alliance she had with Raizen to include Suzaku, then Seiryuu would more than likely not attack a kingdom that had a Demon nation as its ally, especially one ruled by a Battle Demon who would love nothing better than a war.

"And I will offer you an unbreakable alliance with Suzaku in return." said the young Emperor.

"How can any alliance be unbreakable?" she asked.

"There are seven celestial warriors that are required to call our beast guardian, the Red Phoenix. These warriors are born, not chosen, and each one is irreplaceable. They are born with a red rune on his body. Without the seven, the guardian cannot be called. The Red Phoenix protects our capital, ensures good crops, frees us from disease, and gives us many other gifts, but unfortunately will not aid us in a war with another of the kingdoms; it only protects. We offer one of the celestial warriors for you to bind. In that way, we are bound in an unbreakable alliance. We need the warrior to complete the seven and you are bound to that warrior as one of your males."

Hotohori's intelligence impressed her; it was a good alliance and one that would make her sisters happy. She nodded in agreement. Aara had already felt out Raizen before she left Otherworld and knew that he was agreeable to the alliance. He was coming to her Castle a few days after her return to talk about the alliance, and also about some personal matter. It should prove to be an interesting visit.

"The last of the seven warriors will arrive tomorrow and you can meet them then. You, of course, have your choice of any of the warriors. "

"Since Tamahome has a red rune on his forehead, he is one of the seven?"

"Yes, he is."

By the next afternoon, all seven had arrived. The Princess again made her way to the hall, this time to meet the seven celestial warriors, one of whom she would choose to become her fifth male. The Emperor greeted her and one by one introduced her to the warriors. She took the hand of each of them, touching them gently with her power. She greeted Tamahome with a smile. She was then introduced to purple haired Nuriko who had super strength. He was very nice, but seemed very feminine looking. Blue haired Chichiri was a monk warrior like Miroku but he had a badly scarred face that had permanently closed his left eye. She wished that she had brought Kaiba with her so that the mage could heal him. She liked him very much. She held his hand and, without thinking, allowed the feelings of warmth and friendship pour out to him. He smiled when he felt her gentle power. The warrior who commanded fire, Tasuki, seemed to resent her even being there. He mumbled a hello and reluctantly offered his hand. The tall, stern Mitsukake was a healer and she wondered why he didn't heal Chichiri's face. Perhaps he did not have enough power or his healing power was different. Chiriko was a surprise for he was only a child of 13 years. To her surprise, the Emperor himself was the seventh warrior.

"Please take as much time as you need to choose which one of us you want to bind." Hotohori told her after she had met them.

"I need no time at all. I know which warrior I will bind." she said to surprise of everyone. "I will send Bankotsu to you in an hour's time to bring him to me" and then she left, her guardian Demons trailing behind, without letting telling them which one she had chosen. After she left, Tamahome was in despair. "It has to be me! I'm the only one she knows!" he said unhappily. Tamahome was deeply in love with a girl named Miaka and was planning to marry her in a month's time. "If she takes me, how will her binding affect my love for Miaka?"

"You will remember that you loved Miaka, but there will be no feeling behind the memory. You will love only the Princess after she binds you." Chichiri told him. Tamahome was even more miserable after hearing that. Emperor Hotohori tried to ease his mind,

"She did meet me last night, and I am the Emperor. I would not be surprised if she wanted me." The handsome Emperor was well known for his vanity.

Tasuki, always blunt, growled, "Well, I guess the rest of us made no impression at all!"

They were still discussing the possible choice, when Bankotsu walked into the hall and pointed to the Princess' choice. He led the chosen warrior from the room, leaving only stunned silence behind. The Princess had sensed him the moment she walked into the great hall where the seven were gathered. After that there was no choice at all; he was the only one she wanted, and in truth, the only one of them she could have bound. It wasn't until after she met him that she realized that he didn't know what he was. She smiled as she waited for Bankotsu to bring him to her. A soft knock and then the door opened and her fifth male entered, now wearing only a loose robe. The always thoughtful Bankotsu had made it easy for her.

She went to him, taking his hand in hers. Tasuki was confused, not understanding why he was chosen over the others. He resisted her touch. He did not trust her and certainly didn't want to be one of five males. She moved closer to him and allowed him to feel her warmth, gently using her power. She could feel his resistance begin to melt. She slipped her arm around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder. She poured trust and love into him and he responded to her power, wrapping his arms around her. She slipped the robe off him, his body warm to her touch, and led him to the bed. She added desire to her power and felt him respond. Then she added the binding to her power, so gentle he never felt the change, and as their bodies joined, her power bound them to each other forever. She strengthen that binding slowly, melding his emotions to hers, then finally adding the binding to her other males. All were bound to her and they were bound to each other as brothers.

She looked at the young man, on the edge of sleep and kissed him softly. He opened his eyes, golden as her own. "Hmmm." he murmured. She ran her fingers through his red-gold hair. "Tasuki." she whispered, "My dearest Tasuki."

He woke up a little more, and looked at her. She was so wonderful. He wanted nothing more than to sink deeper into her warmth and stay there forever. Was this binding? If so, why had he feared it? It was such an incredible feeling of love and warmth.

"Tell me about your parents." she said.

"Simple farmers. Nothing special. I have five older sisters." he murmured as he drifted back to sleep.

No, he didn't have a clue to what he was. She wondered what reason he had been given for his fangs. She was sure that no one in his family had his gold-red coloring. He got that from his father, his real father. She had felt it the moment she walked in that room...Demon, no, Hanyou. Half Demon. She would have to ask Bakura was kind of Demon his father was. Perhaps she could talk to his mother and get the truth of his birth from her before she left for home.

The next morning, the Princess quietly told Tasuki that he was a half Demon. She used her power for calmness, and even with it, Tasuki did not take the news well. She finally asked the Emperor to send for his mother. Only after hearing her story would he begin to believe it. It was a very long day for Tasuki. His mind felt like it was a confused jumble. He was a Demon? At dusk, the Emperor's soldiers returned with Tasuki's mother. Emperor Hotohori explained to Aida that Tasuki had been bound to the Princess last night and that she wished to speak to her. He then had to explain what binding was and the powers of the Princess. Aida went into the Princess' sitting room full of fear and worry. This woman was taking away her son. Her only son. Her very special son!

The Princess could feel the worry even before Aida entered the room, and immediately began sending calm, trust and friendship to Tasuki's mother. She was a very plain woman, her body showing the signs of have borne six children. She looked nothing like Tasuki. The Princess gently told her that she knew that Tasuki was half Demon and just wanted to hear the story so she could help him with the fact of his birth. Hesitantly, Aida began her story and Tasuki listened in amazement.

It was nineteen years ago, when her youngest child was six, her fifth daughter. Her husband was a simple man, as plain looking as she was. She had long ago accepted that this simple life was her lot. Until that evening. She was walking home after visiting a relative when she stepped badly and turned her ankle. She was sitting by the side of the road when a young man came to her from the hills above the road and asked if he could help. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. His red-gold hair fell unbound like a waterfall past his waist, his large eyes were gold, and his skin flawless and fair. He picked her up as if she weighed nothing and took her to a small abandoned house that was near. He gently tended her ankle, wrapping it in a silk scarf that he took from around his throat. Then he sat next to her and talked for a while. His voice was music. Suddenly she found herself kissing him, drowning in the sweetness of his mouth. Then before she realized what was happening, they were making love on the floor of the little house. It was like a beautiful, perfect dream. All through the night, they made love, time after time, until she thought her heart would burst from joy. She fell into a deep, contented sleep and when she woke up, it was morning and he was gone. But his scarf was still tied around her ankle, the only proof she had that it was real.

Nine months later she would have more proof, when Tasuki was born. Her husband realized that the child was not his, but he never asked about Tasuki's father, just accepted him as part of his family.

"I'm sorry, Tasuki." she said sadly, "I never meant to lie to you. I didn't realize that he was a Demon. I never saw your true father again. I don't even know his name."

Later that night as Tasuki lay in bed with his Princess, he talked about his childhood. How he was always teased about his fangs. His sisters tormented him because of his difference from them. He grew up thinking all women were like them. Now he saw the truth.

"Do you know what kind of Demon I am?"

"No, but we will ask Bakura. He will know. We will also try to find your father."

The next day, Tasuki said goodbye to his mother and to the rest of the Celestial Warriors. They would send for him when they needed him to call the guardian. Then Tasuki headed toward his new life in Otherworld.


	17. Chapter 17: Kouga and Hiten clash

**Chapter 17- Kouga and Hiten clash**

After they returned from seeing Kagome's parents, Kouga started out on his usual patrol of Otherworld. As always, he sped away, leaving his slower men and wolves trailing far behind him. He always seemed to forget that he had crystal shards in his legs that gave him super speed and that none of his men could match his speed. Ginta and Hakkaku, his lieutenants, ran after him, calling for him to wait for them. After a few hours, with his men about an hour behind him now, Kouga ran into Kagura, a powerful female Demon who could control the winds. She used a magical fan to give her precision and more power. She immediately attacked Kouga using solid wind blades which could cut a person into pieces. Kouga could easily outrun her attacks; he just needed to get past her wind shields. He still didn't know why she had attacked him. Without warning, the sky around him filled with dozens of poisonous insects. These insects belonged to Naraku! During one of InuYasha's battles with Naraku, Miroku had sucked the insects up into his air void and been badly poisoned. Although Kouga had heard about the insects, this was the first time that he had ever seen them. This could only mean that Kagura and Naraku were now working together. Surprised by the insects, the wolf hesitated a few precious seconds. The swarm zoomed in and before he could run, they stung him a few times. Their poison worked very fast and Kouga was soon very dizzy.

Unable to run fast enough to avoid all the insects, he was stung dozens of times. Then they flew away, leaving the poisoned wolf for Kagura to finish off. Dozens of wind blades stuck him, slicing deep cuts into his body. He fell to the ground, nearly unconscious. He could hear Kagura's laughter and growled. She took a feather from her hair, and tossed it in the air, and it transformed into a feather large enough to carry her into the sky. Without a backward glance, Kagura left the poisoned and bleeding Wolf Demon to die. It was nearly an hour later, when Ginta and Hakkaku and the rest of the wolves found Kouga lying on the ground unconscious. The only thing they could do was carry him to Kaede as fast as possible. While Hakkaku took him to Kaede, Ginta ran to Kagome to tell her the news. When Kagome got to Kaede's little house and saw Kouga, she burst into tears. Her mate's whole body was covered in long bleeding cuts and deep red sting marks.

Kaede had undressed him and was dabbing an herbal salve on the dozens of cuts and stings. She had already given him an antidote for the poison. Kagome knelt on the other side of her beloved wolf and began to treat that side of his body. Kagome asked Ginta what happened, but he didn't know, he had just found Kouga lying there. Finally, every wound was treated and the bleeding had stopped. He still felt feverish from the poison but he didn't feel as hot as when they first brought him in. He now needed time to heal completely. Hakkaku gently picked up his leader and carried him to his own home. Kagome took more antidote and salve to administer during the night. She gently tucked a light blanket around her sleeping mate and kissed his forehead.

Ginta and Hakkaku slept outside on the porch, just in case Kagome needed anything. Around midnight, Ginta helped her give him more antidote, gently raising Kouga's head as Kagome poured it down his throat. Then Kagome curled up next to him, refusing to leave his side. Kouga woke up in the morning; every inch of his body ached and he felt exhausted. At his side but covered with a separate blanket was his life mate. "Kagome," he whispered.

She woke instantly upon hearing his voice and told Ginta to get Kaede. She gave Kouga some water and little more medicine. Then suddenly she began to cry. Kouga reached for her and pulled her down, her head lying on his chest. He stroked her hair while she sobbed. "I'm okay. It's alright." he kept telling her.

She lifted her head, tears choking her words, "You could have been killed! You can't do that, always run off on your own! What if I lose you? What about your son?"

He pulled her closer and kissed her deeply.

"I love you more than anything in the world. And my child! But I am leader of the Clan and one of Otherworld's Protectors. I have to do this. Please understand, Kagome, I have no choice." He looked at her, his blue eyes full of concern but also determination. Kagome brushed away her tears. She knew the risks, but she also knew that Kouga was reckless, running headlong into dangerous situations. He needed to be more careful. But words would never change him; maybe when the baby was born, he would think twice about jumping into danger so quickly.

Kaede came into the house at that moment and together they put more salve on each wound. Kouga was healing well and in a couple of days the wounds would be gone. A report was sent to Kurama, head of the Protectors. Kurama was very worried when he hear the news. The union of Kagura and Naraku was bad news indeed. He wondered if this meant Naraku was healed or if he was so badly hurt that he needed help. And in the past Kagura always escaped by taking to the sky, and there was only one Protector who could fly. A few days later, Kouga was completely healed and waiting for whichever Protector Kurama was sending. He had received word to wait for his arrival, and it was the only reason he had not gone to find Kagura himself, but he did have his wolves scout for her and they were keeping an eye on her whereabouts. She was currently about a day's journey from here.

There was a knock on the door and Kagome went to answer it. Hiten stood there. Kouga glared at the Thunder Demon. He went to the door, placing himself in front of his mate. Hiten said nothing, just handed him a letter. It was from Kurama, Hiten was the Protector that was to help him with Kagura. Kouga snarled in anger. How could Kurama do this! So what if Hiten could fly!

"We should try to find Kagura…" Hiten began.

"I know where she is!" Kouga growled, his blue eyes dark with anger. "My wolves are keeping an eye on her. We'll leave in the morning." And then he slammed the door in Hiten's face.

Kagome was appalled at her mate's rudeness and told him so. "Rude?" he growled, "He almost killed you!"

"No, he did not!" she said, frustrated by Kouga's refusal to hear the truth, "His brother Manten kidnapped me. Hiten had nothing to do with it. And he never touched me. We barely even spoke."

"He tried to kill InuYasha!"

"InuYasha killed his brother!" Kouga was so stubborn at times! She finally left the angry wolf standing there and went in the kitchen to make dinner. She made enough for three and she didn't care what Kouga had to say about it! Hiten had found a spot on the hard ground under a tree a bit away from the house and he sat there miserably. All around the house were Wolf Demons and true wolves, all of them watching him, growling. He shivered under their glares. He was also cold and hungry. He had not expected such open hostility. In the Castle, everyone was already treating him like one of the extended family. He sighed. This was going to be a long night!

Kouga finally stopped growling and decided he better apologize to Kagome for yelling at her or he would also be sleeping outside tonight. He went to the kitchen and saw her dishing food onto plates three plates! He stood there stunned. She was going to feed his enemy? Her enemy! Kagome looked at her mate, picked up one of the plates and walked past him. If he even said one word! But Kouga knew his mate's temper and wisely decided to keep quiet. Kagome grabbed a blanket from the storage chest and walked outside to where Hiten sat. She gave him the plate of food and the blanket, asking him to forgive her mate's rudeness.

Hiten stood there, amazed by her kindness. Humans were surprising him more and more. "I…I am sorry about what happened to you. Manten should not have kidnapped you."

"Well, he paid the price for it with his death. It is not your fault, Hiten, and I don't blame you. Give Kouga some time and he'll come around." then she asked after Serafin.

"She is well. I think she is beginning to like me a little." he said quietly.

"I'm sure once she gets to know you better, she will learn to love you, Hiten. Serafin and I got pregnant about the same time, so I feel a sort of kinship with her. I would like to get know her better." Then she bid him goodnight and walked back to her home. Kouga avoided the subject of Hiten altogether for the rest of the night, opting for peace and quiet.

The next morning they got an early start. Kagome made breakfast for Kouga and Hiten, but Kouga would still not let him enter their home. Hiten did get onto the porch at least, bringing back the folded blanket just as Kagome was coming out with his breakfast. She kept him company while he ate, much to Kouga's chagrin. Soon after, the wolf clan left with Hiten flying above them. Kagura had been steadily moving towards them so she was now less than a day away. They caught up with her in the afternoon. This time Kouga was careful to stay with his men instead of running off on his own. The plan was simple. Kouga and his wolves would surround Kagura, attacking her until she took to the sky. Hiten would be waiting in the cloud cover. And, for once, it all went as planned. They surprised Kagura and, although they suffered cuts from her wind blades, they would soon heal. Finding herself surrounded by wolves, Wolf Demons and Kouga, she soon gave up the battle, pulled out her feather and fled to the safety of the sky. But this time, she found no safety. She flew right into Hiten. He was waiting for her, his thunder pike at the ready.

When she saw him, she recognized him immediately, one of the deadly Thunder Brothers, but did not know that he was now a Protector. She thought that he might be after the wolves himself, but that hope quickly evaporated when he unleashed his lightning bolts directly at her. She flew away as fast as she could but the Thunder Demon easily matched her speed with his fire wheels. Again and again his lightning flew at her. She was barely managing to deflect the bolts with her wind shields. Soon the sky was filled with his bolts. All Kouga and his clan could do was watch the incredible spectacle unfolding above their heads. Even Kouga had to admit that Hiten was a formidable foe. He wondered if Manten had the same powers and how InuYasha had managed to kill him.

Suddenly it was all over. One of Hiten's lightning bolts got past her wind shields and struck Kagura's feather, burning it to a crisp, and stunning the wind Demon. She screamed as she plummeted to the ground. Hiten dove below her and caught her easily, putting her on the ground next to the wolves. They bound her immediately, taking away the fan she used to control her winds. Hiten would take her to the castle for interrogation. He wasn't sure who would do the interrogation, maybe Bakura, but he was sure someone could get information out of her especially what she knew about Naraku. But before they could question her, she suddenly cried out, and fell dead. Before their very eyes, she turned to dust and disappeared in the wind. In her wake was a crystal shard. Hiten bent and picked it up, handing it to Kouga.

"It should go to the Princess." Kouga said.

"The Princess asked me to give this one to you if Kagura died. You do not have a shard on your left arm, only your right," Hiten explained.

Kouga took the shard, surprised by the offer. Hiten was very different from what he had heard. He did not seem cruel. He was smart, and had courage and skill. "You did well." he offered.

"So did you and your wolves. Kagura could not find an opening to fight you, so she fled." Hiten replied, then added "I should leave for the castle."

"It is more than a two-day journey from here. At least come first to the Village and make your way from there." then he added sheepishly, "We have a guest room."

Hiten smiled, "Thank you. It will make the trip easier."

Perhaps Hiten and Kouga would never be friends, but at least they now respected each other. And they could work together in the future. Kagome was delighted when Kouga brought Hiten home. She sent her mate out for meat and soon he came home carrying a huge boar. Kouga took out the sword he always wore and cut out the liver and some of the loin for their dinner. The rest he left for his clan. When he got to the porch, Kagome was standing there laughing,

"You know, that sword can be used for fighting, not just cutting up meat!" He smiled at her teasing. He was always getting teased by InuYasha about never using his sword during a fight. He simply preferred using his speed and his strength.

The next morning, just after Hiten left, InuYasha appeared. Kenshin and Kaoru were staying a bit longer in their own time. Kaoru wanted to get married first. Otherworld didn't seem to have that practice. You "mated" instead of marrying. Even the human inhabitants of Otherworld had picked up the Demon habit. Sanosuke had been worried about earning a living in Otherworld he was always broke in his own time, until InuYasha explained the communal system of the most of the villages in Otherworld. Everything was freely given. In Kaede's village, Kaede gave medical and herbal help and received food and clothing in return. The farmers who grew vegetables, wheat, rice, and other foods received clothing, medical attention, and meat in return. Since Kouga's arrival in the village, meat was plentiful. He and his wolves were expert hunters and gladly shared their bounty. In return, they were given vegetables, clothing, and anything else they might need. Apart from that, they were also the protectors of the village. With Kenshin and Sanosuke adding to the protection of the village, more wolves could be freed up to help in other less protected areas. There was no money system and therefore no taxes in Otherworld those who had extra sent a portion to the Princess to help with the Castle's upkeep.

Kenshin and Kaoru would be arriving next week, after a short honeymoon. Meanwhile, Sanosuke and Katsu were packing up everything at the dojo. InuYasha made arrangements for several wagons to be brought to the portal from the Village to carry their belongings. Then he went bounding away to the Castle and his Princess. He would return before their arrival and help carry the heavier items through the portal for them. Kagome had been keeping an eye on the new dojo and it was nearly complete. Sanosuke and Katsu's little house would also be inside the dojo walls. The whole village was looking forward to the arrival of their new neighbors and two new protectors.


	18. Chapter 18: Raizen's request

**Chapter 18- Raizen's request**

It had been a very eventful week since the Princess' return with her fifth male. Tasuki was welcomed by all and Bakura was asked to find out about his Demon father. He suggested that they ask Raizen. The ruler of the Northern Lands would be visiting the Castle in two days and he might know something since Suzaku bordered his lands. Princess Aara was very happy that she had done this last binding so well. Tasuki was very content because of it. She had finally learned how to bind! She only wished the other bindings had gone as well. Youko Kurama had been bound in heat and it had taken her years to be able to touch him without setting off a terrible need for her. Hiei had been bound in love, that was true, but she forgot to bind him to Kurama and had to rebind him after a jealous quarrel started between them a few days after. Before Tasuki, InuYasha's binding had gone the best. She remembered everything with his binding. Bankotsu's was a disaster and it had taken a total rebinding on her part to fix things. And he still felt the aftereffects which took the form of terrible nightmares. But Tasuki's had gone perfectly. She had bound him with a loving emotional touch and had bound the others to him so well that they all treated him as a brother immediately.

Three more visitors arrived when Miroku, Sango and Shippo came to the castle. They were usually helping Kagome and InuYasha with the search for the crystal shards, but with Kagome pregnant and InuYasha in the Human World helping Kenshin pack, the mages had asked Miroku to come to the Castle. They wanted to look at his air void. It was a powerful weapon and they wanted to keep it. If they could break the curse of growing larger each year until it swallowed Miroku himself, Miroku would become a valuable Protector. Kaiba wanted to see it from a healing standpoint; stopping its growth, while Bakura wanted to make sure that they didn't lose the air void while trying to heal it.

Sango came along because she had never seen the Castle or the Princess and also because she liked being with Miroku. She had no idea whether Miroku felt the same. He was always flirting with every pretty girl that came his way, and always asking them to have his child! Plus, Shippo wanted more than anything to meet the great Fox Demon of legend, Youko Kurama. Sango and Shippo shared a room, although Shippo was male, he was only a child and usually slept in the same room as Kagome and Sango. Miroku was given his own room, but it was just down the hall from theirs. They were not used to the luxury of the Castle and, as it always did, the indoor plumbing awed them and everyone immediately took a long hot bath. Shippo got to meet Kurama at dinner, and although he tried to hide it, he was disappointed that Kurama was now human and not the tall, beautiful silver fox Shippo had heard so much about.

After dinner, while they were sitting in the cool gardens, Kurama changed to his Youko form just for Shippo. The whole garden crackled with energy and suddenly five foot ten Kurama became the six foot five Youko, long silver hair and tail gleaming in the moonlight and golden eyes reflecting the torch lights. Shippo was terrified and in awe at the same time. Youko went to a large magnolia tree in the center of the garden and touched it. Suddenly the entire tree was covered in beautiful fragrant blooms. Shippo stood there in amazement. All his dreams of meeting the great Fox Demonhad been fulfilled and he would never forget this moment. Kurama returned to his human form shortly after; it was very taxing for him to remain in Demon form for any length of time. Shippo never left his side for the rest of the evening, sitting quietly at his feet, gazing up at Kurama in adoration and wishing that he were also a full-fledged Fox Demon, not just a Lesser Fox born in Otherworld.

Miroku was usually with the mages during the day, and Sango found herself just wandering around. By accident she ran into Serafin and soon became friends with her. She listened to her incredible story of how she was kidnapped by Hiten, the terrible Thunder Demon, and now was his mate and future mother of his child. Sango, who was Demon exterminator before she joined InuYasha's group, felt very strange surrounded by Demons here in the castle. All of them were very nice and she soon realized the difference was that these were higher class Demons. Demons ran from lower to high class. The terrors that she had faced were usually low-classed Demons. All the Demons in the Castle were high Demons, much more human looking and a lot nicer. Kurama reminded her that not all high Demons were nice. Naraku was a high Demon and he was trying his best to kill them all. Raizen, who was arriving tomorrow, was very deadly, a fierce Battle Demon, but through the alliance with Otherworld was on friendly terms now, but it had not always been so.

When Raizen arrived, everyone came out to see the legendary Battle Demon. Few had ever met him and even the Princess had never met him in person. He was tall and muscular, but lean rather than heavy. He had wild long white hair and Demon markings on his face and body. He wore only breeches and boots, leaving his torso bare. He was spectacular! Raizen did not have the almost feminine beauty that many high class Demons had. He was definitely all male. With him was one of his sons, Jin, the Wind Demon, whom Kurama and Hiei had met during the Dark Tournament. Jin had inherited his mother's powers, rather than his father's. Battle Demons were very rare and very seldom did their children inherit their powers.

The Princess wondered what Raizen could possibly want from her? She soon found out. After finalizing the alliance with Tasuki as liaison for Suzaku, Raizen came right to the point. He was not one for small talk. He asked her to bring Yusuke to Otherworld, and once he was here, to let him know that he was Raizen's son. Yusuke Urameshi, the Spirit World detective, who thought he was human, was a Hanyou, a half Demon and Raizen's only human son. Yusuke was very important to him. He was only one of his children who had inherited his Battle Demon powers and therefore was his heir. Raizen was afraid to approach him and lose his son forever. So he asked the Princess to tell him, using her powers. He would leave Jin with her and when Yusuke was ready, Jin would take him to meet his father.

The Princess readily agreed to help Raizen. She would contact Koenma, the Spirit World heir and who was also in charge of the Spirit Detectives, and ask him to send Yusuke to her. Raizen was grateful to her and promised his undying allegiance to her. She then told him about Tasuki's father and asked him if he could think of what type of a Demon he was. Raizen was surprised, for he had realized immediately what Tasuki was, "I didn't realize you didn't know. In the mountains on the border near the Four Gods World, there is a type of cat... no, what do they call them in the Human World? Oh, I remember, bobcat. The Demon form is larger and fiercer than the Human World form, but it looks about the same. When the Demon is high class and takes a human form, it looks just like what you described in your tale, Princess. Tasuki looks like a short haired version. I will tell the clan leader, Tekken, about Tasuki and perhaps he can find out who his father is. I will let you know if I find out anything."

A bobcat! Tasuki was elated. If he had to be part Demon, at least it was a good Demon to be. He had heard about bat Demons, snake Demons, spider Demons, centipede Demons and he was worried about what his Demon half might be. He asked Raizen about the Demon bobcat's powers and found that they were similar to Kouga's and InuYasha's claws and strength. He had neither. Raizen asked him if he had any powers, and he replied that he had the power of fire but that was from being a celestial warrior. They ended with Raizen promising to talk to Tekken.

The next morning, Kurama went to the new dojo and pulled out a little bag of seeds which he had brought for this purpose. In the center of the dojo yard, he planted a cherry seed and then used his power. It grew to a full size tree, spreading it branches and bloomed, filling the air with the scent of cherry blossoms. He walked along the porch, spreading seeds as he went, which instantly grew into flowering plants. Climbing roses went up the support poles and across the roof. In the far corner of the yard, against the dojo wall, he planted a vegetable garden and the vegetables ripened at his touch. At the dojo gate, he planted two wisterias and they climbed over the archway, dropping their lavender blooms. He planted morning glories along the dojo wall, and purple blossoms sprang into being. What had been a bare dojo suddenly became a paradise. Kagome watched all of this in amazement. Kurama went to her, a small smile on his face.

"I have a few seeds left." he said. Kagome nearly jumped for joy and hurried him back to her home. He planted climbing roses near the entrance of her porch and a wisteria on the trellis at the end of it. He checked out the plants she had received from the Southern Clan and "fixed" some with his power. He then spread the rest of his seeds under the tree that Hiten had slept under his first night. A blanket of flowers sprang into life. Kagome ran to him and hugged him tight. His was the best power!

The next day, the wagons arrived with the new residents. Kurama and Kagome were waiting for them at the dojo gate, and Kaoru burst into tears when she saw how beautiful her new home was. She hugged Kurama gratefully. InuYasha placed the carved bench in the shade of the cherry tree. With the help of Wolf Demons, the unpacking went very quickly. Kaoru carefully unwrapped one special item - the glass bell wind chime that had hung on the old dojo porch since Kenshin arrived there. InuYasha helped her hang it, simply by leaping on the roof and hanging it from that angle. Soon villagers arrived, bearing food and other gifts. It wasn't until late evening when they finally had a chance to rest and take it all in. Kenshin and Kaoru sat on the bench, his arm around her shoulders. He was at peace. Kaoru lifted her face to him and kissed him gently. She couldn't imagine being happier.

A little while later, Kagome and Kouga came out of the dojo carrying containers of food, all from the generosity of their neighbors. Sanosuke and Katsu carried plates and utensils, sake and cups. They all sat on the ground and had a wonderful late dinner. Kouga and Kenshin were talking together about how Kenshin could help in the protection of the Village. Kouga explained that his wolves kept guard and if anything happened, one of them would run to tell him. When he wasn't in the Village, he would have the wolves get Kenshin instead. Kaoru and Kagome talked about the coming baby. Kaoru was amazed that Kagome would more than likely have a child with fangs and claws and that she was so calm about it. Demons were the things of fairy tales and legends to her and to actually know someone who was mated to a Demon and having his child was incredible.

Sanosuke and Katsu said their goodnights, tired after a long day. Kenshin sat down next to Kaoru and Kouga laid down with his head in his mate's lap. The baby's scent was all around him, stronger than ever. He took a deep breath. His son... his daughter! Wait! He suddenly sat up, almost knocking Kagome over. Sitting next to Kagome was Kaoru. To everyone's surprise, he suddenly moved to Kaoru and sniffed her deeply. Kagome bopped him on the head, "How rude!"

"No, no!" he exclaimed, rubbing his head. "She's pregnant. I was getting both scents."

"Who's pregnant?" asked Kenshin, suddenly concerned. It was his wife that Kouga

had been sniffing.

"Kaoru." Kouga replied, as tactful as ever. "I can smell your daughter."

"Daughter?"

"Yes. Female." His tact earning him another cuff on the head. "Ow!"

Kaoru burst into tears. She was pregnant? With Kenshin's child? Kenshin slipped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. A few minutes ago, she thought she could never be happier and now she was so happy she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time! She looked up into Kenshin's eyes and saw the joy in them. Kagome and Kouga left soon after, leaving the happy couple alone under the blossoming cherry tree. Kagome admonished Kouga again as they walked home. "Learn to be more tactful! You just don't go sniffing women like that!" But she wasn't really angry and he nuzzled her cheek, reaching for a kiss. "Bad wolf!" she laughed just before his lips silenced her.

InuYasha had left the group at nightfall, before the dinner had started. He was in his usual tree. Tomorrow he would return to the Princess. He missed her, especially seeing everyone else was paired up around him all day. Now that Kagome was pregnant and Kouga would not let her traipse across Otherworld looking for shards, he could spend more time at the Castle. He sighed. If he left very early tomorrow morning, he could be in her arms by tomorrow night. He traveled so fast, bounding along the tree tops, that he always made the two-day trip in half the time. He settled against the bole of the tree, and soon was fast asleep. Later that night, Kagome was in bed, lying on Kouga's shoulder while he drifted to sleep.

"Is the baby aware of us yet? Does he sense us like you sense him?" she asked.

"No, he's too young. You are only three weeks pregnant." he replied sleepily.

"I wonder why InuYasha left so early."

Kouga sighed, when he was sleepy and Kagome wasn't, she tended to ask him questions. "I think the fact that we were all pairs except for him got to him a little. He probably misses the Princess."

"He is really attached to her, isn't he? I think more than the others are."

"That's because she took him when he was so young."

"Young?" Kagome asked, "How old is he?"

"Ummm. He has been bound for 25 years and he was 17, so he's 42. That is very young for a Demon or a Hanyou."

She pondered that for a moment, then changed the subject, "Our son needs a name. It's the custom in Otherworld to combine the parents' names, isn't it"?

"Ummm," he really wanted to go to sleep!

"Well, I thought of one. Kome. Ko-me. It combines the first of your name and the last of mine." she looked at her mate. His eyes were closed, his breathing regular. He was falling to sleep. She gently brushed back the bangs from his forehead, and he opened his eyes. Those wonderful strange blue eyes.

"I was just thinking how much I love you." she said to him.

He smiled and pressed closer to her, wrapping his arms around her. "I like the name Kome." he murmured and then with a soft sigh of contentment, he drifted to sleep.


	19. Chapter 19: Miroku's curse

**Chapter 19 - Miroku's Curse**

Miroku woke up early one morning two days after Raizen had left. He stared at his right hand, bound tightly in purple cloth and wrapped in prayer beads. It had been wrapped like that for fourteen years now, ever since the day his father died. Bakura said he was making progress on removing the curse, but his hand didn't feel any different. Naraku, the Demon they were still trying to defeat fifty years later, had cursed his grandfather with an air void on his hand. It was a terrible weapon, drawing anything and everything into its black hole to disappear forever. It would have been a great weapon but for the terrible curse it carried. Every year it had grown a tiny bit larger, until it finally consumed his grandfather. When his grandfather died, the void suddenly appeared on his father's hand; when his father died the same way, it appeared on Miroku's hand. And every year since then, the hole in his hand had grown a tiny bit larger. He was afraid to believe in the power of Bakura and Kaiba, it would hurt too much to have them fail, especially since he met Sango. Before her, life didn't matter that much... he asked every pretty girl he met to have his child, but never gotten past the question, even with those few that had said yes to his strange question. A few weeks after meeting Sango, he never asked anyone again. Sango! He wanted so much to have a future and to share it with her. With a heavy heart, he got up, dressed, and then climbed the long stairs to Bakura's North Tower to face another try at breaking the curse.

After Raizen's departure, Koenma contacted Yusuke as promised. Yusuke would arrive next week. Tasuki had gone to Suzaku to formalize the alliance with the Northern Lands of Demon World, taking Jin with him as Raizen's representative and as added protection. Tasuki also took with him Bakura's newest creation; a small crystal that Bakura had attuned to a matching crystal that the Princess wore around her neck as a pendant. Since the Princess and her males were already emotionally tied to each other, Bakura was using the crystal to focus the binding clearer and enable a telepathic link between them. Unfortunately, it was only between the Princess and her five males because he was going through her binding power. If it worked, he would create one for each of her males.

The afternoon was warm and lazy, and the Princess had dozens of pillows of various sizes put in the side garden under one of Kurama's cherry trees. She sat there, propped up on pillows, under the cool shade of the tree. Hiei slept contently in her arms, his head resting on her shoulder. Kurama was on her left side, his back pressed against her hip, also drifting to sleep. He had part of Hiei's weight on his own hip so that all of Hiei's weight wouldn't be on the Princess. InuYasha was at her right, also pressed against her side. Serafin and Sango were also there, lazily propped on the pillows, quietly talking. Tall glasses of cool lemonade were on small tables near them. It was a perfect setting!

Hiten was lying next to Serafin with his head in her lap. She was watching her new mate as he pressed against her tummy, sensing the baby inside. Serafin envied that he could sense the baby like that; she was carrying it inside of her and couldn't feel the baby at all. Bankotsu had arrived late, and was unhappy that there was no room for him. There were still dozens of pillows spread around, but like her other males, he wanted to be next to the Princess, physically touching her.

Suddenly the still afternoon was shattered by a terrible prolonged scream. As one, they looked up to the mage's towers. Bright white light was streaming from every window in Bakura's tower. Everyone ran to the tower, InuYasha and Hiei the fastest and first to arrive. Sango was very close behind. She knew that Miroku was in that tower. The heavy door was closed, but just as they reached the door, it opened. Bakura stood in the doorway, then without a word, fell to the floor unconscious. Inside the room, Miroku also lay senseless on the floor. Sango ran to the monk. "Miroku!" she cried. Kaiba was against the far wall, his face bruised. He had been hurled across the room into the far wall. He picked himself up and went to Miroku, opening the monk's robes to expose a terrible burn mark across his chest. Kaiba put his hands over it and healed it. Then he turned the monk over, revealing a twin burn mark on his back. He healed that burn also and then asked them to carry Miroku to his room. He would be alright now; he just needed rest. Then the mage went to Bakura. He struggled to get the mage out of the binding armor that he always wore. Why couldn't Bakura wear robes like other mages! Hiei helped him and finally they got all the straps and buckles opened, to reveal a spider web of burn marks which radiated from his solar plexus. Kaiba healed him and asked if they would take him to his sleeping quarters. Kaiba attempted to stand and passed out cold. Hiten caught the exhausted mage as he fell and carried him to his bed. They still had no idea what had happened.

It was after ten that night when Bakura woke. He went to Miroku's room to check on the sleeping monk, followed by InuYasha and Princess Aara. Sango was already there, watching over Miroku.

"I am very close to breaking the curse," Bakura explained. "This is the last barrier. If I can just break through it, I can remove the curse without losing the air void on his hand."

"Why are you getting burned?" InuYasha asked.

"Because I need to be touching him to break the barrier. The force of the barrier and the pain of it makes him thrash about, so I must hold him tightly. The barrier's power goes through him to me."

"What if someone else held him while you tried to break the barrier?" asked the Dog Demon, adding, "I've gotten a lot of very bad wounds and heal quickly. I can hold Miroku while you break the barrier."

"No!" exclaimed the Princess, "This is not a simple wound. This is magic. You might not survive this!"

"And Miroku will not have a chance if the curse isn't broken!" His look said that he would not be dissuaded. She nodded unhappily and tears began to run down her cheeks. InuYasha took her in his arms, holding her tight. To see his beloved Princess cry hurt, but Miroku was his friend and ally.

"Meet me at noon tomorrow in my tower. Bring Miroku with you." Bakura said quietly. Then he left for his tower to prepare everything and also to get some much needed rest.

After InuYasha and the Princess left for his room, Sango sat there silently, her heart aching. She watched the man she loved for a few minutes more, and stood up decisively. She went directly to Kurama's room. She knocked on his door and went inside when he opened it. "Kurama, you have senses like Kouga and InuYasha, don't you?"

"Depends on what you need. My senses are different in my human body," the redhead replied.

"Can you tell me if I am fertile right now?"

Kurama looked at her intently, knowing what she was planning to do. "Are you sure you want to do this, Sango?" he asked.

"There is good chance that Miroku won't live through tomorrow. I want to make sure that a part of him continues. He wants a child so much; he asks everyone he meets except me. I want to try to give him that child." She looked directly into Kurama's eyes and he could see the resolve in them. He nodded and then suddenly changed to his Fox Demon form. The energy of his Youkai filled the room and for a moment she felt like she was drowning in his power.

The tall Demon then knelt before her and put his hands on her stomach. He stayed that way for a few minutes, then he stood up and simply nodded, no emotion showing is his gold Demon eyes. Sango thanked him and left. Kurama changed back to his human form, concern immediately filling his green human eyes Sango went to her room and undressed, putting on a loose robe, and then went back to Miroku's room. She sat at his side waiting for the monk to wake up. It was a little after midnight when his eyes finally opened. The first thing he saw was Sango sitting next to him.

"Sango?" he said, then he noticed what she was wearing. "What … what are you doing?"

"I'm going to give you what you always ask for." she said and then stood and dropped her robe and slipped under the covers with him. "I love you, Miroku."

He looked into her eyes and saw the determination and the love there, and took her in his arms, whispering "I never wanted this for you. I wanted you to have a happy future. Not this."

"Even it is only this one night, it will be enough." she replied as she kissed him.

A little before noon the next day, InuYasha went to get Miroku. He was ready. Miroku took Sango in his arms, "I love you, Sango. I think I loved you from the moment I met you." Then he kissed her goodbye. The Princess stood outside in the garden, staring up at the tower windows. Kurama and Bankotsu stood next to her. Hiei and Hiten stood outside the mage's tower door so they could go in fast if they were needed. Sango joined them, needing to be as close to Miroku as possible. Suddenly the air grew heavy and flashes of rippling light streamed from the windows of the tower. Then scream after scream pierced the Castle's walls. Hiei and Hiten didn't know what to do. They had been ordered not to enter the room unless they were asked to, but those screams! Sango was terrified of what was happening inside the tower. The Princess cried out and fell to her knees. She could feel InuYasha's agony through the binding. Kurama wrapped his arms around her, knowing that it would not help, but needing to do something. It seemed like hours, but it was only a few minutes and then both the screams and the light stopped. There was only silence. Hiei would wait no longer. He slammed himself into the door and tore it off its hinges.

Kaiba was near the door in a heap. He had obviously been trying to reach it. Bakura was sprawled on the floor face down, dark blood coming from his nose and mouth. InuYasha was still wrapped around Miroku, but both were unconscious and wisps of smoke were coming from them. Sango knelt next to Miroku, tears running down her face. Hiten gently pried the monk from InuYasha's arms. He was barely alive. Hiei checked out InuYasha and there was a strong heartbeat. Then he went to Bakura and found a faint one.

Kaiba had been caught in the backlash of the barrier and was unconscious so there was no one to heal the other three. Bakura continued to bleed, and more than likely had internal injuries. With Sango following closely behind, Hiten carried Miroku to his bed and lowered the top of his robe. The burn mark was there again but it was deeper and wider. Wisps of smoke still rose from the center of the burn area, right over his heart. Kurama carried InuYasha to his bed and peeled off his clothes. InuYasha's chest had the same burn mark as Miroku's but his hands and forearms had third-degree burns. Kurama pulled off the burnt and loose skin, leaving them raw. Then he pulled a seed from his hair and grew it to a mature plant. Sap dripped from a strange looking bud. He applied the sap to the burns and then bandaged him up. The plant would do little to heal those terrible burns; but it would prevent infection. He then added a second plant near the bed, this one gently lulled InuYasha into a pain-free sleep. About a half hour later, Kaiba regained consciousness. When he tried to sit up, waves of dizziness immobilized him, so he asked Bankotsu to take him to Miroku. Sitting next to the unconscious monk, with Bankotsu supporting him, Kaiba pressed his hands into the center of the burn and called forth his healing power. Slowly the burn mark disappeared. Sango turned Miroku over so that Kaiba could heal his back. Again the burn vanished under his touch. Bankotsu felt the mage go limp in his arms. He nodded to Sango and carried the mage back to his room. Kaiba had no strength left to heal either Bakura or InuYasha.

Kurama feared that Bakura was dying. There was nothing that he could do for the bleeding mage. The Princess used the crystal and contacted Tasuki. The crystal worked as Bakura had hoped, but unfortunately, shattered immediately after that one use. Aara's crystal was fine, but Tasuki's was gone. She asked Jin to go to the floating island of Ice World for Yukina, Hiei's twin sister. She also had the power to heal, although on a much lower level than Kaiba. Since Jin had the power to fly, he could get to there in a day, then allowing two days to return with Yukina, it would be three days at the earliest before Yukina could reach the Castle. They could only hope that Bakura had the strength to hold out that long.

The next day, Kaiba again woke up. He asked after the other three and was told about Bakura and InuYasha. Since Bakura was the most critical, he asked to be taken to his fellow mage's side. Bankotsu again carried him and Kaiba touched him gently. He did not have the energy to heal the Demon mage's injuries, but he gave him what strength he could. Kaiba slipped back into unconsciousness and Bankotsu returned him to his bed. InuYasha alternated between painful wakefulness and peaceful sleep. When he did wake, it was agony for the Dog Demon. Usually he woke when Kurama changed his bandages, trying hard not to whimper from the pain. The Princess was always at his side when he woke and her presence helped him more than anything.

On the third day, Jin arrived with Yukina. The tiny ice maiden went quickly to Bakura's side and touched him gently. Her face was downcast. "I do not have the power to heal him." she said sadly. "Please take me to Kaiba instead." She touched the sleeping mage and a smile came over her face. She could heal him! Then he would have the power to heal the others. It took her over two hours to fully heal Kaiba, but when she was done, the mage was able to heal Bakura and InuYasha. Finally, everyone was on the road to recovery, sleeping to regain their strength.

After two full days of deep healing sleep, Bakura awoke. And he had wonderful news for them. He had succeeded in breaking the curse. InuYasha's help by taking the brunt of the backlash had freed Bakura's power to break the curse. It had not been easy and the mage had nearly died, but it was done. Miroku was free at last. The air void would probably end with him. Miroku had kept the powerful weapon but it would no longer grow larger and larger until it devoured him. There was much celebration and joy in the castle. Miroku now had a future to offer Sango and they were pronounced mated by all. Kaiba also told her that her gamble had paid off and she was pregnant. In a very few months, Otherworld would have some very special children.

In Kaede's Village, two houses were going to be built, one for Miroku and Sango, and the other for Hiten and Serafin. They would also go to live in Kaede's Village. Serafin was very lonely at the Castle and it was felt that she be happier in the village with Kagome, Kaoru and now Sango around her. Since Hiten could fly, he could commute between the Castle and the Village easily.

Once everything was back to normal, the Princess called a meeting of Protectors, mages, and her males. There had to be something done so this would not happen in the future. Bakura needed an apprentice and another healer was needed. Princess Aara asked Hiei if he thought Yukina would be willing to stay. She was not as powerful as Kaiba, but at least she could heal him. Hiei had already suggested it to her and, although she was worried about the climate being too warm for her, she was willing to give it a try. The Princess suggested giving her an entire wing which she could keep as cold as she liked. Kurama recommended that they ask Touya to live in the Castle. Touya was a friend of Jin's whom they had met at the Dark Tournament.

Touya was also an Ice Demon who lived in a dark and desolate part of Demon World, and more than anything he wanted to live in the light. Kurama was sure that he would accept an offer of becoming a Protector for Otherworld and his presence would also keep Yukina from feeling totally isolated. Hiei was very agreeable to that. Perhaps Yukina would forget about that human friend of Yusuke's, Kuwabara, and fall for Touya instead. Hiei would be much more agreeable to that pairing. Kurama also put forth Suzuki's name as an apprentice mage. He was the Demon that gave him the seed that changed him back to Youko Kurama and had also supplied his team with their magical weapons. It was agreed that Jin would contact the two of them and ask them to the Castle. Finally, everything was going smoothly.

A/n: Read the companion piece: "The Vigil"


	20. Chapter 20: Yusuke

**Chapter 20 - Yusuke**

The next morning Yusuke arrived, using the third portal that Otherworld had to the Human World. Yusuke's sensei, Genkai, had built her dojo around the portal to protect it. He brought Kuwabara and Keiko with him. Keiko was Yusuke's childhood sweetheart and knew all about his participation in the Dark Tournament and his tenure as the Spirit World Detective. Kuwabara was overjoyed when he found out that Yukina was at the Castle also and planned to spend as much time with her as possible. On the other hand, Hiei was extremely unhappy, especially since Touya was due to arrive tomorrow.

In the evening after dinner, the Princess took Yusuke into her sitting room and told him the truth about his father. His mother was a single mother, but not a very good one. She was an alcoholic and Yusuke had grown up pretty wild. The news about his father didn't really surprise him. He never could understand why he defeated so many very powerful Demons when he was supposedly only human - Kuwabara couldn't do half the things he could. And a Battle Demon - that also made sense to him. He was happiest when he was fighting.

The Princess was surprised that Yusuke took the news so well, she didn't need to use her power at all. He was excited about meeting his father and he and Jin would set out tomorrow. It was too dangerous for Kuwabara and Keiko to travel through Demon World, so they would have to stay behind. Yusuke told Keiko the news later that night. She didn't know what this meant for their future. Would Yusuke stay in Demon World with his father? Being a half Demon would make him like Tasuki and InuYasha, he would not age much more than he already had and his lifespan would now be measured in centuries instead of decades. She ran up to her room in tears, leaving Yusuke feeling helpless. All their lives they always thought that they would eventually marry and raise a family, but that dream might not be possible. Yusuke worried that she would never accept him as a half Demon while Keiko worried that he would want to stay in Demon World where she could not live.

Early next morning, Jin and Yusuke set out. He did not get a chance to see Keiko before he left. A few hours later, Touya and Suzuki arrived. Hiei greeted Touya like a brother, to Touya's great surprise, and the reason soon became clear. Hiei immediately took him to meet his sister. Kuwabara was already there visiting with Yukina. He was almost blue from the cold. Hiei asked Yukina to show Touya around and then dragged Kuwabara off on the pretext that the Princess wanted to see him. The Princess took pity on Hiei and sent Kuwabara and Tasuki on an errand which would take them most of the day. Hiei was so happy he spent the rest of the morning smiling, which made everyone else in the castle very nervous. He was not the smiling type!

The next afternoon, Yusuke and Jin arrived at Raizen's manor. They had not stopped once to rest; Jin flying above Yusuke while he ran at full speed the entire way. Yusuke didn't feel the least bit tired which made him wonder what else a half-Demon was capable of. Raizen greeted his son warmly and introduced him to everyone there as his heir and son. Finally they were alone. Raizen told his son the truth of his birth. Raizen had gone to the Human World through Genkai's portal to retrieve a Demon from his lands that had crossed over and had killed several humans. He easily found the Demon and dispatched him. Now he was on his way back to the portal, going through the woods near the dojo when he saw her in the distance. A young human female. Even from this distance he could smell her, she was fertile! He quickly caught up with her and then slowed his pace until he was walking beside her, his need translating into a mating scent.

Atsuko was only a teenager when she met Raizen. Suddenly a man appeared and started walking beside her. He was strange looking with wild long white hair and markings on his face. He had a strange smell and it was intoxicating just to be near him. He was so different from the young boys she knew at school. He was so virile! He began to kiss her, and before she realized what was happening, she was on the ground and he was trying to open her clothes. But she didn't panic, instead she helped him. She wasn't sure if it was his strange scent or just the fact that he was so wonderful, but she wasn't frightened at all. She wanted him to make love to her. It was the one and only time that Atsuko ever saw him and she gave birth to Yusuke nine months later. As the years passed, she judged all other men by Raizen and found them wanting. She began to drown her loneliness in a bottle.

Although Atsuko never saw Raizen again, he did not lose track of her. He asked Koenma to keep an eye on his son. As the child grew, it looked more and more that he had inherited the rare Battle Demon powers. He was a true fighter. Koenma made Yusuke his spirit detective to test his powers further. The Dark Tournament had been the final proof, Yusuke was indeed a Battle Demon. Now Yusuke needed training. Raizen set four of his strongest four Demon warriors against his son to see what he was capable of. They trounced him easily, leaving Yusuke battered, embarrassed and bruised. What the hell had happened? Raizen told him the problem, he did not know how to tap into his Demon powers yet. His warriors would teach him how to do that. And they would teach him by fighting him. For the next week, Yusuke spent nearly every waking hour fighting. He was covered in bruises and cuts, but nothing life threatening.

On the fourth day, the warriors took it up a notch and this time their blows brought up blood. Yusuke lost his temper and that was what Raizen was waiting for. Raizen felt his son's blood boil and reached into his son's mind and told him how to trigger a change inside of himself. Suddenly, Yusuke's hair grew long and turned white like his father's, his muscles filled out and grew rock hard, his eyes turned red, his teeth turned into fangs, and Demon markings appeared on his torso and face, even more markings than his father had. And Yusuke changed more than just physical, his entire demeanor changed. He no longer fought to learn..he fought to kill! As his fists slammed into the hapless warriors, he felt pure joy. This was what he had been created for. He had become a true Battle Demon! Time after time his fists fell, then he used his spirit energy to devastating effect; he was willing to do whatever it took to win the battle.

In a very short time, three of the warriors fell were defeated, left unconscious, bloody and bruised from head to toe. Then Yusuke went after the fourth, the strongest of the four. It was a short and terrible fight; the warrior did not have a chance against Yusuke's Battle Demon bloodlust. And soon Yusuke was close to killing the fourth. Raizen did nothing.. it was up to Yusuke to learn to control his power or become an unthinking raging beast. No one could do it for him. Just as Yusuke was landing the killing blow, he stopped his fist a bare inch away from the warriors' face. He had realized what he was doing and stopped just in time. His hair turned back to its normal brown color, although it remained long and wild, and his eyes turned brown instead of red, but the Demon markings, the fangs, and the lean muscular physique remained.

Yusuke had managed to control his power. He was now part Demon and part human, a perfect blend of both species. Raizen was very proud of his son. Yusuke had proven that he could control and use the Battle Demon bloodlust. Yusuke was truly his son and heir! During the time that Yusuke was in Demon World, Hiten took Kuwabara and Keiko to visit Kaede's Village. Keiko fell in love with the little village and the lives that the girls, very much like herself, had made for themselves. She especially felt close to Kagome who not only had mated a Wolf Demon, but was having his baby. Suddenly a future with Yusuke might actually be possible. Living in the time paradox of Otherworld, she could live as long as Yusuke did. Now she couldn't wait for Yusuke's return!

Kuwabara, on the other hand, was bored by the simple village life and realized that he was not ever going to be happy here in Otherworld. He also realized that as much as he liked Yukina, a life with her was impossible. He wryly thought that his decision would make Hiei very happy indeed. Hiei pushed Touya into Yukina's company. It was obviously that he had chosen the Ice Master as his sister's mate. Touya's rooms were even in the same wing as Yukina's. But no one seemed to be taking Yukina's feelings into consideration. She was an ice maiden and ice maidens do not have sexual dealings with males. They reproduced without males (the reason why Hiei's birth was so forbidden) and they gave birth to only females. On Ice World, Yukina had no contact with males at all. Nor was it expected of her.

A couple of years ago, she had been abducted by humans and taken to Human World. She was surrounded by human males who frightened her but wanted nothing from her but the tear gems she could produce. More frightening to her was her own brother. Her mother had forbidden relations with a man and given birth to a male! Hiei was gentle and kind to her, but she soon realized that she was the exception. Her brother either feared or hated by nearly everyone else. Kuwabara did not frightened her. She knew that he liked her, but also knew that he could not live in her world.

He was a human and therefore safe. She could enjoy his silliness and his attention without fearing him. But Touya! Touya was an Ice Master and Hiei was pushing them together. She was scared to death of the handsome Ice Master. More than anything, she was scared of her own feelings. She liked being with Touya and that frightened her more than anything else. She had no one whom she could confide in or ask advice. The only other female in the Castle was the Princess and she was more terrifying than anyone. She had five males and Yukina could not even conceive of having one! Touya seemed to be the only one not pushing her. He let her take the lead and gave her as much space as she needed. He stood there on his balcony in the bright sun! He finally had a chance to live in the light. If it took a mating between him and Yukina to stay in the light, he would gladly do just that. Whatever it took to stay here in the sun and not have to return to the dark, cold world he had known his entire life.

When Kuwabara returned from Kaede's Village and announced that he would return to the Human World forever just as soon as Yusuke returned, Hiei was overjoyed. The very thought of that particular human with his sister had been absolute torment to him. Everyone in the Castle had been having fun watching the little Fire Demon, who had never shown any interest in the romances of the Castle, playing matchmaker to his own sister. They were almost sorry to see it all end. When he heard about the decision, Hiei went directly to the Princess and just stood there in her arms, his head on her shoulder, sighing in relief. This had been very hard for him, getting involved with other people like this. He was just glad it was over. The Princess was the only one that had not laughed at his efforts. Even Kurama could not keep a silly grin off his face!

Yusuke and Jin returned the next day. Yusuke still had his long Demon hair and markings, but his hair and eyes remain brown. He only hoped that Keiko would accept him like this. He walked up the path from the gate to the castle when suddenly Keiko ran out of the castle. Without a moment's hesitation she ran into his arms. Yusuke had returned to her and that was all that mattered. She excitedly told him about Kaede's Village and the possibility of living there. It was a life that could work for both of them.

All the anger that had always been such a large part of his life now had a reason and a purpose. He would use it to protect Otherworld, and traveling to visit his father would be no problem. Keiko would return to the Human World to tell her parents. Kuwabara and Kurama would go with her. Then Keiko and Kurama would return to Otherworld. Yusuke could no longer return to the mainstream Human World; the Demon markings on his face, his fangs, and his long, wild hair would tell everyone he was not really human. While he could turn into his white-haired Demon form, he could no longer turn back into a human. While Keiko was gone, he would see to the building of their home in Kaede's Village. Kagome had already told Keiko about the problem with getting pregnant in Otherworld, but they now had three options when the time came to start their family: Kaoru's dojo in Japan of 1878, Kagome's family home, and Genkai's dojo.

Keiko spent a week with her family, saying goodbye to them and her friends. She told her family the truth, but she told her friends that she and Yusuke were married and living in a different city. Kurama also took the opportunity to visit his human mother. She was overjoyed to see her son again; he had visited on several occasions, but it had been a while since the last time. Finally, they were both ready to return to Otherworld. Keiko promised to visit her parents as often as she could and then went through the portal to her new life.

With the help of Kouga and his Wolf Demons, along with nearly everyone else in the Village, their house was completed by the time Keiko arrived. At Kurama's request, Keiko was taken to Kaoru's dojo for lunch. He used that time to create a garden for her like he had for Kaoru and Kenshin. When Keiko got to her new house, it was so beautiful she couldn't believe it! Brand new furniture had been fashioned for them by the villagers and by the Princess' craftsmen. Beautiful rugs were spread on the polished wood floors. Brand new dishes and glassware sparkled in the kitchen. A huge carved bed dwarfed their bedroom, a present from Raizen. Keiko wrapped her arms around Yusuke, holding him tightly. He bent to kiss her. All the rage he had always known was no longer there. He understood now where it came from and, if he needed to, he could tap into it, but it no longer consumed him. At Keiko's side, he would have a chance at true happiness.


	21. Chapter 21: The past returns to haunt

**Chapter 21 - The Past Returns to Haunt the Present**

 **"The Sins of a Goat Demon"**

The Castle was always receiving visitors. People of Otherworld came with petitions for help when a Demon moved into their area. Kurama would send one of the Protectors to take of the matter. The Castle's policy was to never turn down a request for help. And today that policy would be tested to its limits. A young man appeared at the gate, long pale lavender hair tied in back and golden eyes. He was average height, but very slender. He did not give his name but begged an audience with the Princess herself. Her curiosity aroused, she granted the interview but Kurama insisted on both Hiei and himself remaining at her side during the meeting.

Kurama escorted the young man into the study. He bowed deeply to the Princess and began, "Thank you for this audience, Princess. It is said you never turn down a request for help and I pray that you will not turn down this one. I am Shido, Lord of the Blood Demons."

Kurama took out a rose to ready a whip and Hiei drew his sword upon hearing his words. The Princess looked at them, "What is happening?"

"There is no Demon more feared that a Blood Demon." Kurama explained.

Blood Demons lived in the dark, unable to stay in the sunlight for more than a short while, and ate nothing but fresh living blood. Their fangs injected a chemical into their victims and enslaved them. Each Blood Demon had three or four "feeders" - Demons or humans that lived only to feed their masters. The feeders were emotionally enslaved to them. It was similar to the Princess' power, but it was biochemical in nature instead of a mental power, and it allowed the "feeder" no will power. Also, the enslavement could end by the Blood Demon not feeding on them for a couple of weeks. The chemical had to be renewed periodically. Because of their ability to enslave Demons, no matter what the class or power of the Demon, Blood Demons were feared by all.

"There is a fable in the Human World about vampires. Vampires are really Blood Demons that have crossed over into the Human World to get new feeder humans." Kurama added.

"What can Otherworld do for you?" the Princess asked Shido.

"We live in the darkest corner of the Southern Lands of Demon World. Although Yomi is the ruler there, we do not recognize him as our ruler. But we also never caused him any trouble. We are content to live quiet lives, staying in our dark world. Recently, Yomi decided that he wants the land we live on. He gives us no reason and when we refused to leave, he had his guards, cloaked by magic, sneak into our lair and abduct all of our females as hostages."

Female Blood Demons were very rare and without them, they could not reproduce. Unlike the fables of the Human World, Blood Demons did not create others of their kind through a blood exchange, but the natural way that almost every other species reproduced...a male and female union. Yomi had a powerful ward placed on his fortress so that they could not get near it. They either gave up their land or their females would be slaughtered, effectively wiping out their race.

"My mate was taken and she is heavy with our first child. We are helpless against him with the powerful wards and our females hostage. Even if we did want to leave our home, which we don't, there are no other lands that are dark enough for us to live in." Shido said, his voice full of sorrow. "We know that your mage is capable of creating portals. Even if we had a powerful mage, portals can only be created between worlds, not within worlds. We only ask that you create portal for us to go through to rescue our females."

"That cannot be all you intend to do." Kurama said. "Yomi would just retake your women. How would you prevent that?"

"I wish I could promise not to take his life, but all I can do is try. I will attempt to enslave him, rather than kill him. We just want to live our lives in peace. Yomi's fortress lies in sunlit lands and we could not live there. We ask that you choose a ruler and we will support whomever you choose, as long as we are allowed to live in peace on our lands."

"May I touch you?" asked the Princess. Her touch would tell her the truth about Shido. He knelt in front of her and she gently placed her hand on his cheek. His sincerity came through immediately, and then his despair at the loss of his mate and possibly his child flooded her. She nodded and he rose. Shido was shown to a room so the matter could be discussed privately. During the discussion, even Kurama did not take Yomi's side. Yomi was greedy and had often tried to take land from the other three rulers. He only enforced the alliance when it was to his benefit. Hiei did not trust or like the Goat Demon. Princess Aara also did not trust him because Yomi would never allow her to touch him. He took great care to avoid even the smallest touch. She knew he was hiding something, or plotting something, he was always plotting! She had liked the feelings she got from Shido. He was honest and upfront, and so they unanimously decided to help the blood demons.

A week later, the plan was put into motion. Bakura would create a portal to the Blood Demon lair that Shido and a dozen of his followers would use to come into Otherworld, then Bakura would close that portal. Then, they would go directly into Yomi's manor through a second portal which Bakura would create just outside the Castle's gate. As one, the Blood Demons rushed through the portal. Shido took a deep breath to try and sense his mate. He could not sense her, but he did sense someone else. He moved so fast he was invisible, going up several flights of narrow stairs. A heavy locked door didn't even slow him down.

There stood Yomi in front of him, but he was not alone. His mage was with him, as he feared, Yomi attacked instantly and so did the mage. Only Shido's speed saved him. He took them both out. Damn! Now he would have to find his mate the hard way. He searched Yomi's clothes to see if there was a key or something, but found only a small velvet bag. In it was a silver chain and a small round gem on it which he pocketed. When Shido went back down the stairs, he found out that the castle was already taken. Blood Demons are deadly fighters and their speed made them almost invincible. He and about four others began to search the lower levels.

Shido reached the deepest level of the dungeons and found a heavily sealed door and opened it. Inside, living in filth and utter darkness were the females. Shido called up to his men and they rushed down to help. He felt his heart break when he saw Liho, his mate so thin and weak, her hair matted and covered in dirt. But to him, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly, then pressed his hand on her stomach. Her time was so close now! Then he picked up his beloved mate and carried her to the portal. Kaiba would help her! He told his men to search the fortress and free anyone imprisoned there. The servants were to be left unharmed. Then, with his mate in his arms, he stepped through the portal.

Everyone was waiting for his return. Once they entered the castle, Shido asked if Kaiba could look at Liho. Kaiba came from his tower and carried her to the room that Shido had used before. Then he handed the Princess the little bag that he took from Yomi. She took out the silver chain with a small gem attached to it.

Hiei suddenly snatched it out of her hands. "My tear gem!" Then he told them the story of his most prized possession. Tear gems were made from an Ice Maiden's tears and were very rare and valuable. The gems were the reason that Yukina had been abducted by humans before Hiei rescued her. This particular gem had been created by his mother's tears and one given to each of her children. His gem had been placed in his infant hands just before he was thrown off Ice World to the Demon World below and it was the only thing he had to remember his mother by. He had always worn it until one terrible day when the chain broke during a fight and his tear gem went sailing over a cliff into the river below. He had searched for years, using the Jagan eye, but could never find it. Why did Yomi have it? And what did he plan to do with it? He might never know the answer. Hiei went directly to Bakura to make sure the gem was clear before he put it on.

Bakura was trying to close the portal, when Hiei entered. The portal refused to close, instead it simply disappeared. He wasn't sure what had happened. There was no reason for it not to close. He had created it. He would look into it further, but now he wanted to clear Hiei's tear gem for him. Kaiba came out of the room and announced that the strain had been too much for Liho and she was going into labor. She needed nourishment more than anything, so Shido rushed to her side and allowed her to feed from his own arm. He should have brought a feeder with him but he had not expected this sudden turn of events!

A short two hours later, Shido had a daughter, a precious female! Liho was exhausted but the birth was easier than Kaiba expected. They named her Lido, a combination of their names. Without the Princess' help, Shido was sure that both his beloved mate and their daughter would not have survived and he vowed his loyalty to her. The morning after, Shido and his family were ready to return to his lands. The Princess asked for an audience with him before he left. Again, they met in her study.

"Shido, we have talked it over and I also contacted Raizen and Sesshomaru's representative, and they also agree. We would like you to become the ruler of the Southern Lands. Bakura can create permanent dark clouds over most of the Southern Lands. It will not be as dark as your lair is, but it will no longer be sunny." Shido was very surprised by the offer and knelt in front of her. "Thank you, my Princess. I will accept only because you ask it of me. I swear undying allegiance to you. Ask me any favor and it will be done."

 **"A Father Returns"**

The next day another unexpected visitor arrived. Raizen, true to his word, had contacted Tekken, the leader of the Bobcat Demon clan. And Tekken himself made the journey to see Tasuki. Tasuki was finally going to find out about his Demon half! He ran down the stairs to meet the clan leader, and was very surprised at how much Tekken looked like him. And with good reason. Tekken had come because, upon hearing the story from Raizen, he immediately realized that he was Tasuki's father.

"You are my father?" asked the startled young man, "I don't understand. You are the clan leader, why would you spend an entire night with my mother?"

"Well, I was in your world searching for a particular plant which only grows in your mountains and has great healing properties, when my heat came upon me. I saw a woman sitting on the side of the road. I used a glamour on her and I took her."

Well, that was certainly not the romantic tale that his mother had told. But it did make sense. His mother was not pretty by anyone's standards. Certainly not to a beautiful Demon like Tekken. Tekken spent the next few days getting to know his son and teaching Tasuki how to use his powers. The fire power he had from being a Celestial Warrior was enhanced threefold with Tekken's instructions. He also learned speed, agility and strength from his father. All too soon, the visit ended and Tekken had to return to his clan's lair. Tasuki promised to visit him one day and Tekken promised to return to see his son.

 **"Revenge"**

Kouga received word from the leader of the northern wolf clan that they wished to see him. A group of them had traveled to the area and were waiting to speak with him about a half day's journey from his home. The northern clan was led by an elderly wolf Demon who had taken wolf form nearly four thousand years ago and had decided to remain in that form. The message did not say what he wanted, but Kouga hoped it was news of Naraku. Since it was only a two-hour journey for him, he went alone. He would be back before nightfall.

The clan leader had brought with him ten wolf Demons and a couple of dozen wolves. His had been a much longer journey through dangerous country and he needed the protection. They were now in a small cave waiting for Kouga's arrival. When Kouga arrived, the old wolf did not get to point, instead stood on ceremony, and insisted on having a cup of wine with Kouga. Kouga sat down cross-legged across from the clan leader and drank the wine with him, Kouga's in a cup, the leader's in a bowl which he lapped up. After the wine was consumed, the leader talked about very trivial things, which, of course, made Kouga impatient, wanting to get to the point and go home. He stood up and was instantly assaulted by waves of dizziness. Kouga rarely drank but one cup of wine should not have done this to him. Helpful hands surrounded him and took him to a bower at the back of the cave. They gently laid him down. His head was spinning. Had he been drugged?

Suddenly, the Demons gave way and a small female Wolf Demon stood at his feet. Ayame! The granddaughter of the old clan leader. The last time he had seen her she was just a child. He had once rescued her from a harpie attack and she had developed a childish crush on him, but that was many years ago. She was now an young woman.

"I am Ayame." she intoned solemnly, "I am the highest female of the northern wolf clan. I am an unmated female. I invoke the right to the use of the high clan leader."

"NO!" Kouga screamed upon hearing her words. She could not do this to him! The hands holding were no longer gentle; they held his arms and legs tightly. One of the Demons took off his tunic leaving him bare and exposed. "NO! Please, Ayame, don't do this! I am mated!"

"It does not matter if you are mated or not. You are high clan leader. I have the right to your seed."

Then she knelt between his legs. He bit down hard trying desperately to stop his arousal but it was no use. Whatever drug they had given him broke his concentration, all he could feel was what she was doing. She brought him to the very edge and then she stood up. She removed her tunic and he groaned in anguish. "Why are you doing this?" he pleaded.

"I fell in love with you the day when you rescued me and you should have been mine! I have always believed we would be mated. There is no other female of my rank. Instead you choose a human female." she said, "If I cannot have you as my mate, at least I will have your son!"

Then she lowered herself onto him. Her rhythm and his readiness combined and he could not stop himself. His seed exploded into her. When he finished, she rose and left without another word, taking the other Demons with her. In seconds, he was alone. He dragged himself to his knees, still very dizzy, and struggled with his clothes. Damn her! Although he was still unsteady on his feet, he had to get out of that cave. He walked to the entrance where the old clan leader waited. "Forgive me, Kouga. Ayame insisted on this. I tried to talk her out of it."

"You should have tried harder!" he said, his voice full of venom. Then he sped off.

He ran for a few miles until he arrived at a small lake. Night had already fallen and the full moon reflected on the lake's surface. Any other time it would have been beautiful. He stripped off his clothes and plunged into the cold water. He washed and washed. Finally he gave up trying to feel clean and got dressed again. He stood there by the water edge, the moon's glow reflecting on his face. Kagome! What could he say to her? How would she ever understand? Kagome waited anxiously on the porch. Kouga was late and she was very worried. It was not too long ago that he had been badly hurt and left to die by Kagura. She had already sent Ginta and Hakkaku to search for him and they had not returned either. Suddenly she saw her mate coming out of the forest. He was walking slowly, not running as he usually did. His entire demeanor had changed...he was not her happy, confident wolf. What had happened to him? She ran out to meet him.

Kagome wrapped her arms around him and he hugged her tightly, whispering "Forgive me, Kagome, forgive me" in her ear.

"Forgive you for what?" she looked into his eyes. There were tears starting to form. She had never once seen him cry. What had happened?

He sat down heavily on the porch, and she sat next to him. She noticed deep fang marks on his lips. Why had he bitten them? Slowly he told her what had happened.

Tears fell down his cheeks while he talked and his voice caught.

Kagome listened to him quietly. How could he have thought that she would blame him? She hugged him tightly, "You have nothing to forgive. It was not your fault." she said as she kissed away his tears. "Do you think I could ever stop loving you? I know how much you love me and your son. Ayame tricked you into giving her a child, but it doesn't matter. Our son is the child we made with our love."

Kouga looked at his mate, she never stopped surprising him. Her strength and love was boundless. He buried his head on her shoulder, holding her very tight. "I love you, Kagome. I will always love only you."

 **"Bitter Tears"**

Late at night, the Princess made her rounds, checking on each of her sleeping males. InuYasha was the last one and he was sound asleep, his white hair spread across the bed. She gently lifted one of his hands searching for any sign of a scar from the terrible burns he received breaking Miroku's barrier, but there was nothing. It was amazing how Demons completely healed even the worst wounds. She sat on the edge of the bed, watching him sleep. He looked so sweet when he slept. He must have been so cute as a young child!

That thought lead to others. Thoughts that she had been trying to avoid. A few days ago, Liho had given birth to a beautiful baby girl. And Kagome, Kaoru, Sango and Serafin were also expecting babies in a few short months. And after one hundred and fifty years and five different males, she did not have a child and probably would never have one. None of her sisters had children. She had Kaiba test her males under the pretext of an healing examination, fearing that her power had hurt them but the tests revealed that all of them were fertile. It was completely her fault!

It really shouldn't have been a surprise. She had not been born, she just "was" One day she appeared as an infant. She had no mother, no father. Exactly the same as her sisters. She had no idea what she was. She was not human and she was not Demon. Even Bakura and Kaiba could not tell what species she was. She was something that they had never encountered before. But it would have been nice to hold a baby InuYasha in her arms. The Hanyou stirred in his sleep, whimpering softly. She immediately reigned in her emotions. They were so attuned to her, she had to be very careful. She left his side and went back to her own room and out onto her balcony. The moon was full and bright. She stood there in its light and carefully put thick mental walls around herself. Only then did she allow herself to cry. The reason for her tears was not something she wanted to explain to any of them. Alone in the dark night, bitter tears ran down her face as she slipped to the floor of the balcony.


	22. Chapter 22: Sesshomaru revisited

**Chapter 22 - Sesshomaru Revisited**

About a month later, a very unexpected visitor appeared at the gate. A huge two-headed beast came out of the sky, and on its back rode Sesshomaru, the Lord of the Western Lands and half-brother to InuYasha. The Princess had not seen him since that time 25 years ago when she refused to bind him to her, and bound InuYasha instead. Wondering why he was here at her gate, she went out to greet him. InuYasha followed behind her, not trusting his full Demon brother. There was no love lost between these two. InuYasha had spent the first six years of his life with his mother and then when she died, he lived alone. InuYasha barely knew his brother. Sesshomaru thought the half-breed inferior and wanted nothing to do with him. Their only interaction had been their bitter fight over Tetsusaiga, the sword that their father had left for InuYasha.

Sesshomaru dismounted and walked toward the Princess. At his side was the little green Demon, Jaken, who had been his servant for decades. And in his arms was a child of about six. A human child!

"She is ill," he said, his voice cold and formal as she remembered it, but his eyes were different. They were troubled, he was worried about this child! "I cannot heal her, and I heard that Kaiba, your healer mage, is the best there is. Could he look at her?"

The Princess sent for Kaiba. The child had dark hair and a small sweet face. Kaiba immediately came from his tower. He took the child from Sesshomaru and carried her to a guest bedroom.

"Let him work," the Princess said, her hand stopping Sesshomaru from following the mage, "He will take care of her." He looked tired, but she knew he would not rest until the child was healed. She took him into her study, and shooed InuYasha away as she closed the door. "Please tell me her story."

Sesshomaru was surprised at her request. Then he remembered how forward she was, always saying whatever was on her mind. He never confided in anyone, but somehow he wanted to tell her everything. She must be using her power on him. After a slight hesitation he began his story, his voice never above a whisper, meant only for her ears.

 **Demon World, Six Months Ago**

Naraku had somehow managed to remove the sealing claw from Ryuukoysusei, the dragon that had killed his father and the dragon was now terrorizing his lands. Leaving Jaken behind, Sesshomaru went to the high mountains that border his lands and Otherworld intent on killing it once and for all. It had been a terrible battle and he was forced to change into his Dog Demon form and after hours of battle and many terrible wounds, he killed the dragon. But he was badly hurt and barely managed to drag himself down the mountain to a small clearing in the foothills. He spread the fur boa that he always wore on the ground and lay down on it. He could move no farther. He was bleeding, broken and exhausted. It looked like the dragon might claim another Dog Demon as a victim. He fell into a deep sleep, his body trying to heal itself. Although he hadn't realize it, he had crossed the border and was now in Otherworld.

It was two nights later when he woke, and the first thing that he saw was a small container of water next to him. He drank it thirstily and then fell back to sleep. He woke the next night and the container had been refilled. Next to it was a small fish on a leaf. Who was his benefactor? On the fourth night he saw her for the first time. Just a little girl. She was quietly walking toward him, carrying the water container and some raw green beans and mushrooms on another leaf. He watched as she approached him. She saw that he was awake, but showed no fear of him, just placed the food and water within his reach. She didn't speak to him, just turned and ran toward the tiny village where she lived.

For a week the child brought him water and food. She was in rags and the food was not always very nutritious, and he came to realize that it was all she had. She was giving him her own food. He stopped eating it, thinking that she might eat it instead, but she never did. So he resumed eating the food. The food and water along with the sleep was helping him heal.

One night she came later than usual and her face was badly bruised. This time she had another fish. She had stolen it and had gotten caught. He looked at her face and spoke to her for the first time, asking what had happened. She said nothing, but she burst into a radiant smile. He had could not understand why she had smiled like that.

The next day, Janken found his master and by that time Sesshomaru was almost fully healed. He walked slowly in the direction that the girl always took and found her small body on the road. She had been killed by some insignificant Demon.

He turned to walk away without another glance when suddenly Tenseiga started throbbing at his side. Tenseiga, the so-called sword of healing. He had tried it a few times in the past, experimenting with its power. He tried to heal a Demon and it did nothing. Then he tried it on several humans and again it did not heal their wounds. The sword of healing could not even heal! It was truly useless! He still wore it only because it was his father's last gift. He drew the sword out and it throbbed violently in his hand. He touched the child with it and in a few moments she was alive and completely healed. He knelt and took her in his arms, checking to make sure she was all right. Tenseiga did not heal, it resurrected! The girl woke and smiled up at him.

She had been with him ever since, following him along with Jaken. He rarely spoke to her, but she didn't seem to mind. She was happy for the first time. He had Jaken go to a village and buy her new clothes to replace her rags. She began to talk a few weeks after and he learned that her family had been killed by bandits and there was no one to look after her in the village. It was a very poor village and no one could afford an extra mouth to feed. So she barely scraped by until she met him. He became her new family and although he was distant, he was also kind to her, she had food and clothing, and she was never afraid when he was with her.

 **Otherworld, Present Time**

As he told the story to Princess Aara, she felt something new in him. Feelings. Warmth. This little girl had warmed his Demon heart. She smiled to herself and he caught her look. His golden eyes narrowed. Why was she smiling like that? Was she thinking of binding him? Now, after all these years? What about InuYasha? His half-brother would never accept him and he didn't want to be bound by her... especially since that she had chosen his half-breed brother over him.

She was lost in thought and did not even realize that he had stopped talking. Her sisters had not been happy when she had bound InuYasha instead of Sesshomaru. The latter was the ruler of a fourth of Demon World and his lands spread across half of the Otherworld-Demon World borders; the former a Hanyou, a half-breed, with nothing to his name. Arina, whose task it was to protect those borders, had desperately wanted the binding. Arina wanted no more males.. twelve was already far too many, but she not only had to protect Otherworld's borders with Demon World but the borders between Demon World and the Human World. It took all the power of her twelve males to keep those vulnerable borders strong. So Arina had relied on Aara to bind the Demon lord and she had bound a useless Hanyou instead.

The Princess suddenly noticed the silence and looked up straight into Sesshomaru's eyes. He did not look happy! He must have guessed what was running through her mind. It was obvious from his look that he was no longer interested in a binding, and then there was InuYasha to consider. Could she bind those two in friendship and brotherhood? It would not be easy. She stood up, thanking him for telling her the story, and suggested that they check on the child.

Sesshomaru walked behind her, now more worried than ever. Could he prevent a binding if she decided to take him? Youko Kurama had been taken against his will but he had been in heat. Sesshomaru's times of heat were few and far between and he was very careful to stay by himself until they passed. There would never be stories about him like there were about Youko Kurama, the Fox Demon who was known for rutting with anyone unfortunate enough to be near him when he went into heat. He suddenly realized that if she bound him, he would have to be brothers with that very Fox Demon! Plus the Fire Demon who everyone feared now that he had could call up the Dragon of Darkness Flame, and still another half-breed called Tasuki! A Thunder Demon! Sixth! He would be her sixth male! Never! He was so lost in these unnerving thoughts that he didn't realize she had stopped at the door and he walked right into her, knocking her down. He flushed with embarrassment. He wasn't even bound to her and he was already acting like a fool! Why was it so hard to act dignified around this woman?

After he helped her up, apologizing profusely, they went in to see Kaiba. Rin was sleeping peacefully. Kaiba told them that she had pneumonia. He had healed the worst of it and now she just needed rest to recover. Sesshomaru escaped to his rooms while the Princess called her males to her study. There she proposed adding Sesshomaru as her sixth male. InuYasha was furious. Never would he accept his half-brother! Hiei also didn't want him either and reminded her that she had only recently taken her fifth male. Neither Kurama and Bankotsu encouraged the binding. Tasuki felt that he was too new to offer an opinion and stayed silent.

The Princess was very unhappy. She had never asked them before about a proposed binding and she wished she hadn't done so this time. But under so much protest and absolutely no support, she gave in and promised not to bind him. She went to his rooms to tell Sesshomaru the news. She was sure that Sesshomaru would be very happy. She knocked but there was no answer, so she walked in, softly calling his name. Just then, he walked out of the bathroom where he had been taking a bath, walking out into the bedroom to dress. He stopped when he saw her, not sure what to do.

He took her breath away! He was so perfect! His beauty was incredible... there was not one flaw on his entire body. The twin purple Demon markings that were on his face and wrists were also on his hips. She moved closer to him and, unable to stop herself, she reached out and gently touched the Demon markings on his hip. His skin was cool satin. As she touched him, she instantly knew that he was completely a virgin. How was that possible? He was hundreds of years old! Then she felt them, his two mantras: control and purity. Like Youko Kurama who loved the thrill of the chase, she loved the thrill of conquest. More than anything she wanted to break his icy control. She wanted him! And then the unthinkable happened. She lost control of her own powers. Waves of pure desire poured from her as she touched his perfect body.

Sesshomaru had heard about the Princesses' power, but to hear about it was very different to experiencing it. He felt like he was drowning in a deep sea of passion, with nothing to hold on to. He bit his lip to keep from moaning, and twin trickles of blood flowed down his chin from his sharp fangs. Her touch was like fire! She led him to the bed and he followed, unable to stop himself, wanting her touch more than anything. She was touching him where no one ever had before.

Downstairs, all the males felt it. She was taking Sesshomaru! InuYasha howled in fury and started up the stairs. He would stop it now! But Kurama tackled him before he got to the first stair and, with Bankotsu's help, dragged him bodily into the library. He fought them, using claws and teeth, growling and spitting with anger. Kurama had to change to his Youko Kurama form to prevent InuYasha from overpowering them. He was so strong! Then suddenly, InuYasha went limp, curled up in a tight ball, whimpering piteously. They all knew why, they had all felt it. Sesshomaru was taken!

The Princess looked at the beautiful Demon in her arms and suddenly realized what she had done. She had completely lost control. Her desire had consumed her! She then felt InuYasha's pain and Hiei's anger. What had she done! Since there was no going back, she went forward. She carefully began to bind Sesshomaru to her, binding after binding until it was unbreakable. Then she began with her males, Hiei first. Gently she bound them together as brothers, then the others the same. Finally, InuYasha. She bound them with love and brotherhood, strengthening the binding over and over. When it was done, she sighed. She could only hope that she did it right. She had come to reject him once again, and instead Sesshomaru was now part of her.

She looked into his golden eyes. His eyelids were purplish-red and the contrast set off his eyes. He was so beautiful! She didn't remember him being this perfect 25 years ago. She stroked his pure white hair, then traced the contours of his pointed ears with her finger. She couldn't keep her hands off of him. She wanted to touch every part of him. She worked her way down his body, all the way down to his feet: tracing each curve, enjoying the satin of his skin, feeling the hard muscles lying just beneath the surface of his wonderful body. On his ankles she found his fourth set of markings. She gently turned him on his stomach and then worked her way back up his body.

Sesshomaru had long since given up trying to keep silent and her touches were now punctuated by soft moans. She spent the entire afternoon exploring his perfection. It was evening when she finally left him, sound asleep. She went quickly to her own rooms and ran a very hot bath and put scented salts into the water. She needed to see InuYasha and she didn't want to the scent of his half-brother on her. After her bath, she asked where he was. InuYasha was still in the library, curled in a tight ball. She went to him and sat on the floor beside him. She pulled him into her arms. "Why?" he asked, his eyes filled with sadness.

"I didn't mean to take him. I went to his room to tell him what we had decided and I lost control." she stroked the top of his head, and then kissed his forehead. Lost in thought, she absently fondled one of his ears. She was trying to figure why she had lost control so badly. Had her desire for a child transferred itself into taking another male? Perhaps. She noticed InuYasha watching her, his eyes just beginning to glaze. She realized that she had been stroking his sensitive ears and stopped. She stood up and offered him her hand. Together they walked to his bedroom, where she would try to make it up to him. Then she would go to Hiei and do the same. She was going to have a very busy night!

The next morning she gathered them in the library, all six of her males. Sesshomaru was very self-conscious. InuYasha sat right next to the Princess, as if claiming her. She admitted to them all that she had lost control and apologized to them. There was nothing any of them could do. Sesshomaru was now one of them. To his great surprise, it was Kurama who was the nicest to him. Sesshomaru began to rethink his presumptions about the Fox Demon. Maybe Kurama wasn't so bad after all. Bankotsu was also very friendly to him. Hiei was distant but he soon found out that the Fire Demon was like that with everyone, except Kurama who had become his friend during the long years when they were the Princess' only males.

InuYasha stayed away from Sesshomaru. Because of the binding, he no longer felt anger or jealousy, but that didn't mean he liked his older brother. Perhaps in time they would become true brothers, but until then, they prudently kept their distance from each other. Tasuki seemed to be sleeping. He had spent the whole meeting with his head on the table, using his arms as a pillow. The Princess noticed him but had said nothing. Now that the meeting was over, she went to him and gently touched his shoulder. "Tasuki, dearest, are you alright?"

"I don't feel good." he moaned, lifting his head. She felt his forehead. It was hot.

"I think you are getting sick."

Kurama also went over to him and touched Tasuki's forehead. He shook his head. "Sense him deeper, Princess."

She put her hand on his shoulder and used her power to sense him on a different level. Oh dear! She hugged him tightly,

"Oh, my poor baby! You are in heat! I had hoped you would be spared like InuYasha is. Oh well, we will take care of it. Come with me." she gave him her hand, and he meekly got up, blushing red in embarrassment. "Don't worry about them!" she said with a wave of her hand, "They all have problems of their own! They will not tease you."

Sesshomaru no longer felt like he was the center of attention. Tasuki had taken care of that! But he did find himself in the middle of a large noisy family. Distant memories edged into his mind, but he pushed them firmly aside. He had walked alone for nearly all of his long life, but that was now ended. He was part of the Castle and part of the Princess.

Later that day, Sesshomaru found himself in the garden lounging on the myriad of pillows spread under a large cherry tree. He soon found out that this was a favorite pastime of the Princess and her males. It was a far cry from his usual routine which consisted of walking slowly throughout his lands. Laying nearby were Kurama and Bankotsu. Hiei had disappeared early in the morning on some personal errand and InuYasha had gone back to Kaede's Village.

The Princess joined them later, sitting as she usually did, propped up by pillows; Kurama had his head in her lap, Bankotsu was lying next to her legs. Sesshomaru found himself longing just to be touching her. He contently nestled at her side, with his head on her shoulder.

Kurama looked up her, "Is Tasuki alright?"

She brushed his red hair out of his face, "He is sleeping peacefully. Why are you worried? Don't I always take care of you when you are in heat?"

"Yes," he replied, "You do. It is just that this was his first time."

"Isn't the first like all the rest?"

"It depends on the circumstances." he said vaguely.

"Now I am curious! Tell me about your first time." she commanded with a laugh. Kurama rarely talked about his youth and she finally had a chance to find out something. He looked at her, his eyes distant and his voice heavy with emotion as he began his tale.

"Fox Demons spend only the first three years of their life with their mothers. Then they are put into a separate den for the young kits. We are taught how to hunt and other necessary skills. Also our power over plants are just beginning to manifest and we learn about that. It is also a time to bond with your pack mates. Only a month after I turned 13, I went into my first heat. It happened much earlier than it should have. My first time should have been around the age of 16 and then it would be my fellow kits with me. But the other kits were not ready, so I was taken to the adult den. One of the teachers picked me up bodily and took me there. He put me on a mat in the center of the den, took off all my clothes and left me there. I felt like I was burning up. I lay there on my mat moaning. All I could feel was a deep need inside myself, a fire that wouldn't stop. First the females came. They nipped at me, then licked and teased me, just playing with me. It was torture! I pleaded and begged, but I was too young to be allowed to enter a female so I was just tormented instead. I later found out that when the males reached adulthood, they had complete control over the females, using them whenever they felt like it, so the females took great delight in tormenting any male they could. After several hours of their torment, the males came. For three days and nights, I was used by the entire pack. It was supposed to be a bonding time but since I was so young, it was only torture to me. Every time I went into heat it was the same, not the whole the pack, but enough of them, and the females! I don't think there is anything crueler than a female kitsune! When I turned 15, I left the pack forever. I swore that I would never be used like that again. That I would be the one in control."

Kurama's voice trailed off. He had not meant to say that much but it had been bottled up for so long, the words just spilled out.

"Oh, no! That's almost what they did to you when you were brought to me!" the Princess cried, tears in her eyes after hearing his terrible story, "Arina's males tricked you and you were brought to me in terrible heat! I am so sorry!"

"That was not your fault. And you have always been there for me since then. At least in this human body, my heats are only one day instead of three." he smiled, but his eyes were still sad.

Sesshomaru listened to Kurama's story in horror. He had definitely misjudged the Fox Demon. He vowed never to prejudge anyone until he got to know them and also swore to become friends with Kurama. He watched the Princess as she gently stroked Kurama's forehead. There was so much love here! Suddenly he was very glad he was no longer alone.


	23. Chapter 23: Naraku

**Chapter 23 - Naraku**

It seemed like Naraku was everywhere. First, he was seen to the west of Kaede's Village, and both Kouga and Hiten went in search of him. Then he was sighted to the North and InuYasha and Hiei went to check that sighting out. Then he was seen in the Western Lands which prompted Sesshomaru to rush to his own lands taking Tasuki with him. Around the outskirts of the Castle itself, the poisonous insects had been seen and Kurama went after them, using huge insect-eating plants to trap them. Bakura was kept busy reinforcing the barriers around Otherworld and the wards around the portals.

The problem was that no one knew what Naraku looked like except for InuYasha. He always wore a heavy robe and mask which covered his body and face completely. InuYasha had caught just a glimpse of him when he had used the Tetsusaiga on him several weeks ago. Obviously, the Demon had healed and was now seeking vengeance.

Early the next morning Lord Shido appeared once more at the Castle gate, this time with an unconscious man in his arms. The Princess showed him to a room and Shido placed the man on the bed.

"We found him in a hidden room in the Fortress," he explained, "He is very badly injured. We have no idea who is he or why Yomi had him."

The Princess looked at the young man. He was extremely handsome, almost a perfect opposite of Sesshomaru. With long black hair instead of white. But he was as fair of face as the Dog Lord. The Princess called for Kaiba and while she was waiting for the healer, she asked about Shido's family. He told her that his mate and daughter were doing well and that his clan had adapted to living in the Fortress better than he had thought they would. Shido was turning out to be an excellent choice for the Southern Lands ruler.

Kaiba arrived and checked out the man. Although unconscious, he was in a lot of pain, moaning whenever Kaiba touched him. The wounds were huge gashes and burns. He was a Hanyou, or half-Demon, which was the only reason he was still alive. Kaiba began the healing process. When Shido realized that none of her males were in the castle with the Princess, he insisted on staying until one of them returned. The Princess stayed with the young man, not wanting him to wake up alone, while Shido went to a guest room to rest from his long trip.

About an hour later, the young man woke up, crying out in fear. What had Yomi done to him? The Princess gently comforted him, and he looked into her eyes. He recognized her and wrapped his arms tight around her. "Thank you, Princess Aara! Thank you for saving me from that horrible Demon!" As she held him, she felt his emotions. He was drowning in fear and pain. She held him tightly, murmuring to him, trying to reassure him. "You are safe now. No one will hurt you." Finally, his weakened state got the better of him and he fell asleep once more.

What had Yomi done to this poor creature? The wounds were terrible. Had he been tortured? She was very glad that Yomi was no longer a threat and grateful for Shido's kindness in bringing him here. He woke up again in the middle of the afternoon and she again comforted him. She had hot soup brought to him but when he tried to eat it, he starting sobbing. "I'm sorry," he explained, "It's been so long since anyone has been kind to me."

The Princess went to him, taking the bowl from him and setting aside. She held him, letting him sob quietly on her shoulder. She stroked his long hair, then kissed him on the forehead, "It's alright. You are safe."

After a while, he quieted down and brushed away his own tears. He looked up at her. Even after all those tears, he was still beautiful. His eyes were large and liquid brown. He reached up and kissed her gently. "Please make me yours," he whispered.

"What? I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, but that's not what I meant. I only wanted to comfort you." she said gently.

"But I want to be yours. My Demon half is a mage and I would be a powerful addition to your family," he begged as he began kissing her cheek, throat, and neck, while wrapping his arms tightly around her.

She never knew anyone that had asked to be bound before. It was always her or her sisters' choice. This turn of events surprised her and she wasn't quite sure what to do. She didn't want to hurt him more by rejecting him, but she also had no interest in binding him, even as beautiful as he was. She had just bound Sesshomaru as her sixth male and that was all she wanted. She could barely handle them and have time for herself. If she bound more than six males, she would end up a slave to them, just going from one bed to another.

She gently pushed him away and started to rise. He gripped her arms tightly, suddenly extremely strong. She struggled to break free but couldn't. But after Bankotsu, she was hesitant to use her power. He glanced at her and she saw that his eyes were no longer brown, but deep red. What had happened? Had his Demon half taken over? Again she tried to pull away and they both fell to the floor, with him on top of her. He roughly tore her bodice open and then tried to tear the rest of her dress off. When they fell, his blanket fell away and she could see that he was fully erect! He was trying to rape her! Just as she was going to lash out with her own power, he was pulled off of her.

Shido slammed him down on the bed, then sunk his fangs into the man's swollen penis. The man screamed once and then grew quiet as the Blood Demon fed. The Princess sat there in shock. She wasn't what she was more shocked at: the fact that this Hanyou had tried to rape her or that fact that Shido had just bitten into the man's penis. After a few minutes of feeding, the man fainted from blood loss and Shido picked the Princess up and carried her to her room. "Thank you, Shido. Ah, you didn't have to bite him there just to avenge me." she told him, still embarrassed by the whole scene.

"Actually, that is where we usually feed from. The blood is near the surface, it is very fresh, and throbbing alive. It is not sexual to us but it is to them and therefore their enslavement is stronger," he glanced at her, then continued, "It is not as bad as it looks. The blood vessels are very near the surface so we only bite enough to pierce them, our saliva has properties in it which stops all pain and also heals. In a few more minutes, he will not have a mark on him."

She blushed again, now embarrassed that his power more like hers than she wanted to admit. Her power also used sex to bind. He sat next to her on the bed, "But there was something very strange about him. When I fed, I felt more than one Demon being enslaved. There was a human soul, but there were also dozens of Demons. I'm sure I didn't enslave them all but I will bind more with each feeding until they are all enslaved."

"We need to figure out who is he. He is obviously not just a Hanyou, but something else." she suddenly got a far-away look in her eyes, "My males are coming. They felt my emotions and are hurrying back to the Castle." InuYasha and Hiei would arrive first, in a couple of hours. Shido left her side, to stay with the man and feed each time he came to, in an effort to bind all the Demons that were inside of that one body.

Later that night, InuYasha and Hiei arrived, immediately coming to their Princess who was sitting in her bed, trying in vain to read a book. They both bounded onto the bed and hugged her. She explained what had happened and what Shido was doing. InuYasha rushed off to see the man and came back with Shido in tow.

"That is Naraku!" InuYasha said in a shocked voice, and then continued with the Demon's background. Naraku had been once been a human thief, but he betrayed his own men and paid a terrible price. They attacked him and set him on fire. His body was almost totally burned, yet he clung to life. As he lay there in agony, voices whispered to him.

"Let us join you and you will be invincible. There will be no more pain." After days of suffering and their constant whispering, he relented, and they joined with his soul and took possession of his body. Nearly a hundred Demons lived inside that one man. It was the reason he was so powerful and so evil.

The next time Naraku woke, they all went to interrogate him through Shido. Naraku's eyes were were glazed and he never took them off of Shido, but every once in a while, a flicker of hatred passed through them. Not all the Demons had been enslaved yet. It would take many feedings to enslave that many Demons. Shido asked him what the plan had been. They realized that Yomi had not imprisoned Naraku, but that they had been working together. The wounds were not done by Yomi's torture, but InuYasha's Tetsusaiga. As the Demon began to talk, an insidious plot revealed itself. It definitely sounded like something Yomi would have thought of. Naraku had fled Otherworld after InuYasha had almost killed him and took refuge in Yomi's Fortress. There they put their minds together and came up with a plan. First, the Princess had to bind Naraku, he would use his beauty to entice her, and without knowing it, she would only bind the human soul and one of the Demons. The others, almost a hundred more Demons, would be free and unbound.

As one of her males, Naraku would have the freedom to manipulate, which is what he was best at. But the main plot involved Hiei. Once Naraku was one of them, he and Yomi would ensorcel the Fire Demon. Under their control, Hiei would kill Raizen and Sesshomaru, leaving the Western Lands and the Northern Lands of Demon World leaderless. Yomi would step in and seize control of three quarters of the Demon World. The Blood Demon lands which was on the border between the Southern Lands and the Eastern Lands were vital, because the Eastern Lands of Mukuro would be the only free lands left in Demon World. Yomi would mount an attack from those borders and soon all of Demon World would be under his control. Meanwhile, Naraku would destroy the wards on the portals and Demons would have free run of Otherworld and the three portals to the Human World. It had been but by chance that the plan failed. It had never occurred to them that Shido would ask the Princess for help. And that one miscalculation has destroyed the entire plan.

"But I knew what you looked like…" InuYasha began.

"I didn't know that. I never knew that you had seen my true face."

Hiei was extremely distraught. They were going to use him to start a war. "That's why Yomi had your tear gem. He would use the gem, which had emotional ties to you, to put a spell on you." Kurama had arrived and was listening to the story. He had always known that his former partner in crime was greedy, but had never realized how greedy he was! Now he felt no remorse at all for his death. He asked Shido if the enslavement would work on all the Demons living inside of Naraku. They could not take a chance with that Demon. It might be safer just to eliminate him. The Princess did not want to do that, in spite of all he had done, she had felt that the human soul inside of Naraku was not completely evil, only frightened and hurt. Shido assured them that he could enslave all of the Demons and that he had most of them enslaved already. Plus once he was home, he would have two of his men also enslave Naraku, in case anything happened to one of them, there would two others who would be his masters. He would never be free again.

They searched Naraku and found his numerous crystal shards: two dozen in all! The Princess gave Shido ten of them, for himself and his men. She felt that they were a small gift considering all she owed him. Two days later, Shido left the Castle, with Naraku following meekly.

InuYasha could not believe that everything had resolved itself so easily. Of course, the insects were still around but since they were no longer taking orders from Naraku, they flew aimlessly around Otherworld. InuYasha felt that they must have a hive somewhere and would ask Kouga to put his wolves on looking for it. Kouga, having suffered their poisonous stings, was glad to help, and all the sightings had been part of the plan to distract them from the real Naraku, put in place by Yomi before his death.

 **Three Months Later**

It was a hot, miserable night. Kaoru looked over at Kenshin. He was asleep but his hair was damp from sweat. He had thrown off even the light sheet. She got up and flung wide open the sliding walls. She didn't care if everyone saw her husband laying there stark naked. He was hot and miserable and so was she. Her night kimono was so hot and she decided to take a chance on something Kagome had brought her from the Human World called a nightgown. It was flimsy and nearly see through and she had been embarrassed to wear it, even in front of her husband. But it was so much cooler! She looked across the garden and saw Sanosuke and Katsu sleeping outside on their porch. She quickly slipped into bed next to her husband, accidentally waking him up. His violet eyes appraised the nightgown she was wearing.

"Hmmm, wear that when it's not so hot." he said with a smile. She blushed, but secretly she was very pleased at his words.

Across the road, Hiten and Serafin were not letting the heat stop them from their nightly routine. Ginta, who was trying to sleep near their house, groaned to Hakkaku. "Not again! I thought that Kouga was bad but these two never stop!" Both Wolf Demons got up to find a quieter place to sleep.

At Kouga's house, the sliding walls were already thrown wide open, in vain attempt to find a cool breeze. Kouga was miserable. He wanted to sleep wrapped around Kagome as usual, but it was just too hot. His mate was asleep but she was restlessly tossing and turning. He got up and walked quietly to the kitchen and filled a bowl with cool water. He grabbed a small towel and took them to the bedroom. Gently he washed down Kagome's arms and legs with cool water, trying to make her feel comfortable. Kagome woke during the last of it, feeling much cooler and amazed by her mate's thoughtfulness. He had such a gentle nature inside of his rough wolf exterior.

The last three months had passed uneventfully. The girls were beginning to show their pregnancies and had all bonded with each other. Kagome and Serafin were going to have boy half-Demons while Kaoru and Sango were going to have human girls. A lot of pre-birth matchmaking was bandied about concerning the two pairs of children. Gales of laughter met their ideas for the perfect mate for their respective children.

During the day, the girls sat in the cool gardens of the dojo under the large cherry tree planning for the births. Kagome and Serafin were both expecting half-Demons, probably with fangs! Kaoru and Sango were expecting human children and all were very excited about the upcoming births. Serafin taught them how to knit and they all started with an easy project: booties. Keiko was the only one not expecting a child, but she loved their company, so she hung around with the rest of the girls. But she began to think of going to the Human World for a while with Yusuke to try to get pregnant.

Kouga happened to walk by and saw what they were doing. He picked up a tiny bootie and looked at it. "This might be okay for the human children. But not for half-Demons. They will outgrow this in about a week."

They immediately pressed him for more information. He found himself inundated by questions and regretted stopping. He would not make that mistake again!

"Demons and even Hanyou's, half-Demons, will crawl at two months, walk at six months and run at nine months. They remember everything you say to them from birth. They will have fangs and might have claws. At nine months they will be the size of a human two-year old."

"So what do your clan women do about clothes?" asked Serafin.

"We just let them go naked until they are around three years old."

"Well, my child is not going around naked!" Kagome exclaimed. "I will put something on him and it is not going to be fur!" Obviously she and Kouga had already had that conversation. "I will just make larger sizes! And he will wear these booties, even if it is just for one day!"

While the girls knitted, they also discussed the matter of names. Kagome already had her son's name: Kome. Hiten decided he did not want to name his son after his brother, but to use the name of a younger sister who had died in infancy instead: Souten. Serafin liked the sound of it, so Souten it was. Kenshin and Kaoru had trouble deciding and finally tried the Otherworld tradition of combining their names and came up with Kenru. Sango and Miroku had decided on Mirago for their daughter, for she was their miracle.

While the girls at Kaede's Village planned for the impending births, the Princess's routine was the same as usual. Early each morning, often before dawn, she would walk from room to room, right to left, checking on her sleeping males. First room down from hers to the right: Kurama. He was usually sleeping peacefully, his long red hair spread across the pillows. Across from his on the left: Hiei. As always, curled into a tight ball, the covers tangled and twisted. One room down on the right: InuYasha, sleeping soundly, with his long white hair spread across the sheets, his ears twitching in a dream. Across from him, on the left: Bankotsu. Sleeping sprawled across the bed, covers thrown off. To the right, one room down: Tasuki. Sprawled nearly sideways on the bed, but on his stomach, with one foot hanging off. Covers partially draped on him, but the foot was bare. And finally, to the left: Sesshomaru. Sleeping quietly in the exact center of his bed. She smiled. Only Sesshomaru would even sleep elegantly!

After she checked them, she went to her bedroom to curl up in bed until it was time to get up. She was not an early riser but then she didn't sleep much during the night. When she finally did get up, she usually took a light breakfast on her balcony, and her males would come to keep her company. Often Kaiba or Bakura would come by also. It was the time to discuss the happenings of Otherworld.

They also discussed Rin. They were beginning to feel that Rin would be better with one of the families in Kaede's Village and Hiten had been given the task of feeling them out. Sesshomaru spent so much time with the Princess or traveling to his lands that he hardly even saw Rin anymore. The Dog Demon was capable of incredibly rapid flight so watching over his lands was not a problem for him, but it left the little girl lonely in the large Castle. The Princess felt no bond to her and didn't really try. Yukina liked the girl but her part of the Castle was too cold for Rin to stay any length of time.

A couple of days passed and Hiten returned. He had told the families about Rin, and Miroku and Sango had immediately asked for the little girl. Miroku loved children and he and Sango were more than happy to offer her a home. So the next day, Hiten flew Rin to Kaede's Village. They already had made her a room, and filled it with toys from Kagome's era. Rin was hesitant at first, but soon began to bond with Miroku, then Sango, and settled contentedly into her new home.

 **The Portal**

"Damn portal!" thought Bakura. The temporary portal which he had created for Lord Shido turned out to be far from temporary. It would not close. It drifted in space and time, returning every so often, bringing some poor creature to their gate. Usually the creatures died instantly, this environment so different from their own. He never had trouble closing a portal he had created before, but he could not get this one closed. It was like it had a mind of its own. His greatest fear was that one day something terrible would come out of it and be at their very doorstep. Since he had created it, Bakura could sense the portal returning one more time and came down from his tower to warn them.

Bankotsu and Hiten ran to the portal, but it had already disappeared when they got there. But it had left another gift: a man on the ground, lying in a pool of blood.


	24. Chapter 24: The gift

**Chapter 24 - The Gift**

It was finally over. But at what price? All his dreams, all his hopes were gone. Everything he believed in had been lost. He had taken precious lives with his own hands. He was badly wounded, he might not be able to heal this time. But did he even care? He lay there, his blood soaking into the parched lands. Nearby he could see his brother's body. It wasn't supposed to be like this, he was supposed to save him! Bitter tears tracked down his face. Without warning, the air near him began to shimmer. The shimmering almost seemed to be a living thing and it moved steadily toward him but he didn't even try to move out of its path. When it got close enough, he reached out to touched it and felt his fingers tingle. It was a portal, although he wasn't sure how he knew. It passed over him, taking him with it, and he slipped into peaceful darkness.

Bankotsu rushed to the man and turned him over. He was barely alive. Bankotsu picked him up and carried him quickly into the castle. The rule of the castle was to help whomever came to their gates. Princess Aara and Kaiba had joined Bakura at the doorway of the castle.

"Take him to a guest room," the Princess said. "Bakura, you have got to stop that portal!"

"I am trying, Princess. I am trying." the blue mage grumbled.

Bankotsu deposited the man on the bed in one of the guest rooms and moved aside for Kaiba, so that he could examine his wounds. There were five wounds, one on each of his limbs and one on his shoulder, all bleeding freely. The man was dressed a long coat which Kaiba, with Bankotsu's help, removed.

"Is this fire rat fur?" asked Bankotsu, looking at the coat.

"I don't think so," replied the Princess. "It doesn't feel the same as InuYasha's clothes, although it is the same color."

She noticed a long package in one of the coat's inner pockets and pulled it free. She unwrapped it and gave a small cry of alarm. It was a severed arm!

"It is a left arm?" asked Kaiba.

Bankotsu looked at the mage after that strange question, but examined the limb closer. There was no blood on it but there was also no decay. "Yes, it is the left."

"Then it's his." Kaiba continued, lifting the man's left arm. "This is a mechanical arm." Kaiba continued to undress the man. Under the coat, the man was wearing tight fitting dark brown outfit that seemed like some sort of light armor. There was a long holster with a heavy silver gun. Guns were rarely seen in Otherworld, because they were not effective against Demons. Upon seeing the gun, Kaiba realized that his wounds were more than likely bullet holes. The stranger also had on heavy boots and gloves. They struggled to get him out of the tight fitting clothes and, after much effort, managed to get everything off of him.

When the Princess saw his unclothed body, she gasped in alarm, but not because of the wounds, because of the scars. His entire body was covered in terrible scars, almost like chunks of flesh had been gouged from him. There were metal plates and bolts coming out his flesh. What kind of world did this poor man come from? Kaiba grimaced. As a healer he had seen many terrible wounds, but never like this. The bleeding wounds were bad enough but the scars were a nightmare. He focused his power and placed his hands on the closest wound. His hands waxed hot with his power, and the bleeding should have stopped immediately and the wound should have started to close. But nothing happened. He probed deeper with his power and then turned to the Princess. "Use your power with mine, like we did with Kenshin."

She took the stranger in her arms and enveloped him with her power. She felt something as her power embraced him, but it wasn't the usual emotions, but something she couldn't quite put a name to. She looked at Kaiba, but he only nodded, so she just poured out her power for Kaiba to tap into. The wounds began to heal, bullets coming to the surface and falling out of each wound. Then Kaiba placed his hands on the scars and, one by one, they disappeared. He was healing much faster than Kenshin had. He created new skin to replace the old scarred flesh and pressed even deeper to knit broken bones together, the now unneeded plates and bolts falling free. Kaiba then reached for the arm, and after removing the metal one, reattached the real arm. It looked like it had never been removed. Kaiba knew that this was not just his power at work. The man himself was healing himself through the Princess' power. Kaiba bandaged the new and sensitive skin as a precaution.

The man never stirred during the entire process. Incredibly there was not a mark on his young, handsome face. His hair was light blond and there was a small beauty mark under his left eye. Kaiba opened an eye to check the pupils, not sure what he would find, but his light green eyes looked normal. They covered him in warm blankets and left him sleeping. After they left him, Kaiba went to Bakura's tower and brought the Demon mage back with him to see the man. Bakura placed his hands on the man and looked into Kaiba's eyes.

"You feel it, don't you?" Kaiba asked his brother mage.

"Yes. And after the portal brought him here, it closed by itself. It no longer exists."

The Princess was on her balcony, lost in thought as she stared at the gardens below, when both mages approached her.

"Princess," began Kaiba, "When you touched our visitor, what did you feel?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't feel his emotions like I do with everyone else, but I felt something."

"To us, he feels the same as you."

"What do you mean? The same as me?"

"Princess, you are not human or Demon, but you do have a certain feel to you. Both Bakura and I feel it. When I met Aratha, your second oldest sister, she had that same feeling. And so does this man. Whatever you are, he is the same."

She stared into Kaiba's eyes. Could this be possible? A male of her own kind to appear out of nowhere? She was afraid to hope but hope is impossible to resist. She looked deep into Kaiba eyes and saw that he was confident about this. Tears began to fall and Kaiba gently took her in his arms and held her. The four of her males that were in the Castle came running to the balcony. Bakura took them aside and told them what Kaiba had said. More than anything all of her males wanted her happiness and they all knew how unhappy she had been for these last few months, ever since the women in Kaede's Village had gotten pregnant. No matter how hard the Princess had tried to conceal her sadness, they could feel it. Then when Kaiba did tests on them, they immediately knew what the problem was. She wanted a child and they could not give her one. If this stranger could make her happy, they would welcome him into their home and be glad to share her with him. They would do anything to make their beloved Princess happy.

Kaiba relinquished her to Kurama and he held her. Hiei, Tasuki and Bankotsu stood around her, surrounding her with their support and their love. She smiled at them through her tears. She was so lucky to have them! The stranger slept for ten days straight. Everyone took turns watching over him, both the Princess and her males. Finally, just as the sun was setting on the tenth day, his eyes opened. The first thing he saw was the Princess. She was reading and had not yet realized he was awake. He said nothing, just watched her. She was so beautiful! She glanced at him and immediately came to his side, sitting next to him. She brushed the hair out of his eyes. "You are safe." Her voice was soft and gentle. For once he did not get silly and flirty like he usually did around beautiful women. She was different somehow. He looked at her, his green eyes serious.

"Where am I?"

"This is Otherworld. You went through a portal that my mage created." she explained.

"Portal? Yes, I remember. It was shimmering around me."

"Are you hungry? I will ring for food and also send for Kaiba." she said as she reached for the bed pull behind him. "What shall we call you?"

"My name is Vash. And yours?"

"I am Aara."

Vash looked at her. He could feel it. She was not the same as the beings who ran the plants on his world, but she was similar. She was exactly like him. She was one of his kind. He wondered if she felt it too.

"Yes, I do." came her thoughts. He could talk to her telepathically like he had been able to with Knives, his brother!

Kaiba entered at the moment and began to examine Vash. For the first time since he woke, he looked at his own body and saw that the scars were gone and his arm had been reattached. He had taken it from Legato after he killed him. The terrible memories suddenly came flooding back and overwhelmed him. He had killed Legato! And he had killed Knives! The grief poured out of him in terrible sobs. Aara rushed to his side and wrapped him tightly in her arms.

"It wasn't supposed to happen. I wasn't supposed to take life. All living things are precious." he said.

"I wish that were true. But sometimes you have no choice. Why did you kill Legato?"

Vash looked into her eyes, and saw compassion in them, "He was going to kill my friends. He had killed many already."

"Then you had no choice. And your brother?"

"He hated humans. He was going to destroy them all. I had to stop him. But I should have found a way to stop him without taking his life!"

"Did you try?"

"Yes, but I …"

"Then you did all you could. They chose their own fate by walking the path of evil. Here in Otherworld, we understand that very easily. Our fight is with Demons and we protect the human inhabitants with our very lives. You cannot blame yourself. Sometimes there just are no other choices."

She went on to tell him about Otherworld and her males. He listened to her, seeing for the first time a whole other way looking at life. With the Demons they fought, if they did not kill them, they would regenerate and kill again. They had no choice. She gave him a lot to think about. Perhaps there had not been a way to save them. Legato seemed to want death. He died with a smile on his lips. And Knives, he was insane and with his power there had been no other way to stop him.

Although Kaiba had healed his wounds, Vash still needed time to regain his strength. After a few more days in bed regaining his strength, he moved to his balcony to sit in the sun or walk slowly through the gardens. In the desolate, parched world he came from, there was nothing like this. To be surrounded by all this beauty. And water! Everywhere there was water. Fountains and streams were all through the gardens. Aara was often by his side, listening to stories of his life or telling him about Otherworld and the other four worlds. He also got to know her males. Each of them were so different from the other. Kurama was over a thousand years old! And Sesshomaru was nearly as old as that. He had thought he was old at 137. Aara herself was older than he was! He loved to listen to the many stories of their long lives. But he also enjoyed the youth of the two youngest: InuYasha and Tasuki. All of them were fascinating and they all welcomed him into their family.

The hardest to get to know was Hiei. But one evening, when Vash's regrets came to the surface and tears ran down his face, it was Hiei that offered him words of encouragement.

"There is no one who does not carry scars on his heart," the Fire Demon told him. "Go on from here. Stop looking back. It only brings pain." And Vash could see in Hiei's eyes that he knew both good and evil intimately. As the days passed, Vash found out that his very existence was very much like Aara's, they both just "were" she and her sisters and he and his brother had appeared just one day on their respective planets. Neither of them had any idea where they came from but they were aware that higher powers were at work here.

During that time, he put his red coat, his armored jumpsuit and his gun into a locked chest and put the key in a safe place. He no longer wanted the violent life he had in his former world. In Otherworld, he might finally find the peace that had always eluded him. Although Vash knew about the impending births, they were big news! The Princess had not mentioned her hope. It would be his decision if he wanted to share his future with her. It was strange not to be in control but her power did not work on him and she knew that even if it had, she would not have used it. Vash was her equal and, just like it was with the young women in Kaede's Village, it had to be a mutual decision. Because of his ability to read her thoughts, Vash knew about her hopes and was only waiting to get his strength back. But he was also hesitant she had six males and lots of experience. He had none. Even when he had the opportunity on his world, it had never felt right. Now he understood why. Aara felt right. They truly belonged with each other.

One evening, three weeks after his arrival, as they were walking quietly through the garden, he told her that he knew her wish and would gladly be her mate. She hugged him tightly, so happy she felt she would burst. He cupped her face in his hands and lifted her face to his and kissed her for the first time. That night in her bedroom, they joined for the first time, not just their bodies, but their entire beings hearts, minds and souls. Powerful universal forces had brought them both to worlds to protect, then, when Vash's job was done, he was brought to Aara to complete her. They were each other's gift.

Her males stood together on Kurama's balcony, the closest to the Princess' balcony. Pure golden light was streaming from its long open doors. It was filled with a loving, nurturing power, and it was wonderful just to be near. Aara happened to glance up at Vash and saw the golden light coming from them. She motioned for him to look and they both watched it together, laughing. Either they would have to find a way to contain their power or each time they made love, everyone would know it. That was a problem for the future, right now, she just wanted to be in his arms.

For three wonderful days and nights, they did not leave her room. There was so much joy in just being together. Food was brought to them and they ate it together, they sat on her balcony, took long hot baths together, and made love many times. Anything just to be close. This must be what her males felt when she was near. Although she had a bond to each of them, those bonds felt nothing like this. It was late on the third night when Vash reminded her that she had been neglecting her males. They needed her and he knew that he must share. He would wait for her to return in the morning. She went to Kurama first. The Fox Demon made human was asleep, but woke when she sat next to him.

"I'm alright, Princess." he said sleepily. "Stay with Vash." And then he went back to sleep. Surprised by his reaction, she went to Hiei. Her beloved Fire Demon would never turn her down! She pulled him into her arms and kissed his cheek. He burrowed into her arms, but when she reached for him under the sheets, he stopped her. "No," he said, "You should be with Vash, not me."

She stood up, almost dropping Hiei to the floor. What was going on? She ran up the stairs to the South Tower to see Kaiba. He was asleep in his quarters. She roughly shook him awake.

"Tell me what is wrong!" she commanded.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, rubbing his eyes in an effort to wake up.

"Neither Kurama or Hiei want to be with me. They both tell me to go to Vash. What is happening? Did I lose my power?"

"I doubt it," Kaiba said as he sat up, and then he placed her hands in his, probing her with his power, and then he smiled.

"You know, even I who am not bound to you, have always felt you as very sexual. Every male is attracted to you in varying degrees. But you no longer feel sexual, you feel maternal. Princess, you are pregnant."

She stared into Kaiba's eyes, then flew down the stairs. "Vash!" she called as she ran into the room. When he heard the news, he spun her around the room for joy. All of her hopes were coming true. She was going to have his child. Her joy filled the castle and soon all of her males had joined them in her room. They were overjoyed for her and her happiness filled them. Although they were no longer in need of her sexually, they were still bound to her and shared her emotions.

Two weeks later, Vash walked out into the garden when Aara lay, propped on pillows. Her six males were sitting next to her, but not in her arms. He suddenly noticed it, he had seen it ever since that night she found out she was pregnant but it hadn't registered until just now. Kurama, Hiei and InuYasha were always together on one side of her and Sesshomaru, Bankotsu, and Tasuki were always on the other. He didn't know why, but he was sure there was a reason. He would mention it to Aara and see what she thought.

Two weeks after that, they learned the reason. Kaiba placed his hands on her stomach to check on the babies, and a look of concern crossed his face. He pressed deeper and then smiled. "Ah! That's what it was."

"You are making me worried!" the Princess said glaring at the mage.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to alarm you. You are fine. But you are going to have twins. I feel two females inside."

After telling Vash the news, she called a meeting of everyone, including mages, in her study. She told them about the twins, then asked "Kurama, why do you always sit on the same side of me as Hiei and InuYasha?"

"I didn't realize that I was, but now that I think of it, I do, don't I. I don't know why; it just feels like I need to be on that side. But it's not always that same side of your body."

"Vash and I have talked it over and we think we know what is happening. Somehow, your bindings have transferred to my daughters and each of them has three of you. I am beginning to feel your presences less and less when you are apart from me. And I think it is probably the same with you. Am I right?"

"Yes," answered Hiei, "But I thought it was just because of your union with Vash."

"I feel a terrible need to protect the child inside of you. I am beginning to sense her but I can only sense one child, not two." Bankotsu added.

So, once again everything had been resolved for them. The Princess' bindings had been transferred to her daughters. It would very interesting to see what happened when the children were born. Like Vash, she had grown up quickly, about seven times faster than a normal child. She had been about 2½ years old chronologically when she took Youko Kurama, but about 18 physically. How would it be to be born already bound to three males? It was going to be an interesting time in Otherworld!


	25. Chapter 25: New beginnings

**Chapter 25 - New Beginnings**

 **Four Months Later**

As the time grew closer for the births to begin, Kagome began to worry about everything, not only was she going to have a baby, but she was going to have a half Demon baby who would learn much faster than a human baby, have fangs, and who knows what else. Kouga hugged his wife, promising her he would always be there for her. During the last months of her pregnancy, Kouga had indeed been there. He was supportive in every way possible, as were all the men, even Hiten. Kouga gladly rubbed her aching back and even massaged her swollen feet. The Princess had sent them each a large white basket complete with a satin pillow, a mattress and a blanket with each baby's name embroidered on it to use as a bassinette. Kouga put it right next to their bed.

Yukina arrived and stayed in a little house that they had built just for her stay. She could keep it as cold as she wanted. Touya had accompanied her. Yukina was still hesitant about mating with him, but she no longer feared him or her feelings. She just needed to take that last step and everyone felt it would be soon.

Serafin delivered first, and with Kaede and Yukina's help, the delivery was very easy. Kaede used a large wooden tub which was filled with warm water. She found that deliveries were easier in the water and less traumatic on both the baby and the mother. As Hiten held his new son, tears of contentment filled his eyes. Souten looked very much like him. He handed the baby to his mate and sat next to Serafin as she fed his son for the first time. Nine months ago Hiten could not even imagine having this wonderful life.

Three days later, Kagome and Kouga were out for a short walk when her water broke. He scooped her into his arms and rushed her home. The birthing tub had been placed in their home after Serafin's delivery, ready and waiting. He sent Ginta to fetch Kaede and Yukina and set Hakkaku to boiling water for the tub. When everything was ready and her contractions were close together, Kouga carefully lifted Kagome into the birthing tub. He slipped an arm around her shoulders for support and put his other hand on her stomach, trying to ease her contractions. They less than a minute apart now the baby was coming fast. A few more contractions came and went.

"One more push" Kaede told her, and Kagome pushed with all her strength, and then it was over. Kaede told Kouga to cut the umbilical cord with his claws, and after he did, she handed the baby to Yukina to check out and clean.

After she expelled the afterbirth, Kouga lifted Kagome out of the tub and carried her to a warm, clean bed, wrapping her in blankets. He lay down beside her for warmth, wrapping his arms tightly around Kagome. Yukina brought their son to them, and he nestled between his parents, his blue oval eyes staring up at them. "Kome," she whispered to her son. She looked down at him; he was already so alert. Kome reached for his mother and she moved him closer so he could feed. Fortunately he did not have fangs yet. But within a month he would. Kouga watched him nurse. Kome was his perfect miniature with the same blue eyes and dark hair. His son! Kouga lay there, with his son and his mate. He could not have ever imagined being this happy. He loved them with all his heart and soul. He found Kagome's lips, careful not to disturb his son's first meal. "I love you so much!" he told her, tears of joy in his eyes.

A week later, Kaoru gave birth to a daughter. Again Kaede was the midwife, with Kenshin and Yukina helping. Again the birthing tub made delivery much easier. When Kenshin held his daughter in his arms for the first time, tears filled his eyes. His daughter was so beautiful! She was a miracle to him. Ten days after that, Sango and Miroku became parents to their own miracle, Mirago. Rin was kept away during the actual birth, but was allowed to join them as soon as it was over. Miroku held her in his arms while she looked at the new baby in Sango's arms.

The Village had much to celebrate and it seemed like there was a party every night. Gifts arrived from all over Otherworld for the new children of their Protectors. The Princess herself came to visit the new babies. Now that she carried the twins, she could share in the joy without feeling left out. She brought gifts for all, including hand-carved rocking chairs for each of the new mothers. For many, it was the first time that they got to meet Vash and everyone liked him immediately. He was so open and friendly. They could feel his innate goodness. The Princess' feeling of joy came out unintentionally through her power, and everyone felt happy and content around her.

 **Kome**

For Kouga and Kagome, the days passed in complete contentment. Kome was a wonderful baby, quiet and alert. He rarely cried and slept contently in his basket next to his parents, waking up to be fed only once during the night. Many of the wolf clan came by over the first couple of weeks to see their leader's son. They brought handmade wooden toys and fur blankets for Kome and also gifts for Kagome. A perfect crystal, exactly the blue of Kome's eyes, was one gift she especially cherished. New flowering plants for their garden came from the Southern Clan and they were planted around her little porch. Kagome loved sitting in her rocker on the porch singing softly to Kome and watching her beautiful garden.

The only sad moment was when a representative from the Northern Clan came to pay his respects and told Kouga the sad news of Ayame. She had run off and no one knew where she was. The pack did not like what she had done to Kouga and they shunned her. The old leader had sent wolves to look for her but they had not found a trace of her. The old wolf was distraught over the loss of his grandchild and would probably not live much longer, dying of sorrow. A new leader would be chosen at his death. Kouga was unhappy to hear the news and very upset about Ayame. As much as he hated what she had done to him, he did not want her to be hurt somewhere in the northern mountains, perhaps trying to give birth alone. But he did not say anything to Kagome, not wanting to tarnish her happiness in any way.

Between his third and fourth week of age, Kome got his first tooth. A very sharp one. Kagome went to feed him as usual and suddenly cried out from the pain. She was bleeding, but Kome wouldn't let go he was hungry! He bit down even harder. Kouga came running and gently pried his son's jaws loose. Kouga told Kagome to go to Kaede's for medicine while he took care of Kome. They had been expecting this and a gruel and goat milk mixture was already ready and waiting for this event. This had happened last week to Serafin and the mixture had worked wonderfully on Souten. Now he nursed without biting.

Kouga held his crying son and dipped his finger in the mixture, offering it to his son. Kome sucked his father's finger for a second and then refused to suck anymore. Kouga was now beside himself. Why wasn't it working for his son? Demon women had tougher skin so their children's fangs didn't hurt them, but Kagome had tender human flesh. Kouga could not let his son bite while he fed. He tried again to get his son to eat the gruel, but Kome just cried even louder. Kagome came home shortly after, running home as soon as she heard her son still crying.

"He won't eat it," Kouga said, sounding very desperate.

"I have an idea." Kagome said, going into the kitchen with the gruel. She returned in a few moments and asked Kouga to try again. This time Kome sucked his finger hungrily.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"I mixed in a little deer blood from the haunch you brought in last night. After all, he is a carnivore like his daddy."

Slowly, Kouga fed his son, removing his finger whenever Kome bit down. Kome learned fast and very shortly was sucking his father's finger without biting at all. Kagome decided to try to feed him again, using her other breast. Kome suckled contently, not biting at all. Kouga sighed, grateful that his household was peaceful again and Kagome wondered what else would be in store for them while their son was growing up.

 **Souten**

While Kome was a quiet baby, Souten was the opposite. He demanded to be fed every two hours, day and night, crying at the top of his lungs for food. Kaede suggested mixing a little gruel with milk to feed him as a supplement fearing that he might not be getting enough food from Serafin's milk. He ate the gruel mixture greedily but still demanded food every two hours. Both Hiten and Serafin wondered if they would ever get enough sleep again.

"How long do Demon mothers usually nurse for?" Serafin asked Hiten, one afternoon as she rocked Souten while he slept contently in her arms.

"Anywhere from three to six years. Demon children still need the nourishment from their mother's milk even though they are eating regular food by then."

"Six years!" she cried, almost waking Souten up. "If he grows like Kouga told us, he will be my size and I will still be nursing him!"

"No, no," Hiten explained, "Demon children grow faster than humans only for the first nine months, then their growth slows to that similar to humans. Souten will look like a human two-year old for about a year and a half, then slowly grow to adulthood. He will still be a child. I think you can stop nursing at three years."

"If he lets me!" she said, greatly relieved by his words, "All he seems to want to do is eat! But he is about the same size as Kome who only wants to nurse once during the night."

"Thunder Demons have a very high metabolism. I eat a lot more than Kouga does because my lightning power is generated from my own body's energy."

She looked at her son, kissing his forehead. He woke up and stared at her with those large red eyes of his. His daddy's eyes. Then he reached for her breast. Serafin sighed and unbuttoned her blouse for him. He immediately latched on to her breast. Some days she felt like she had a suction hose attached to her!

At two months, Souten learned to crawl and it became impossible to keep track of him. He kept pulling furniture over on himself and howling loudly in pain but insisting on doing the very same thing the next day. Hiten enlisted the help of the wolf clan to keep an eye on his fast little Demon child when he was outside. The very next day, they saved him from falling into the stream next to their home! Kagome found him near her own home the day after that and brought the loudly crying baby back to his mother. Clothes were a huge problem. The knees in his baby clothes lasted about two hours. But all the crawling didn't seem to damage Souten's knees at all, so Serafin put him in short outfits and just let him crawl around. He was always filthy from crawling in the garden and she spent an inordinate amount of time giving him baths. Fortunately, Souten liked taking baths, but he didn't last more than a few minutes clean. Serafin now understood why Demon mothers just let their children run around naked! She was very close to going that route. Kome was also crawling, but tended to stay near his mother. Souten went everywhere his fast little legs could take him.

At two months, Hiten pierced his son's ears and put earrings on him. It was the custom of his family. Surprisingly, Souten didn't cry during the entire procedure. He seemed to know that it was a important rite of passage. Although Souten still slept contently in his basket, it could no longer contain him, he just crawled right out of it. Keiko went to the Human World with Kurama and they brought back playpens and cribs. Hiten and Kurama put together one of the playpens and Hiten set his rambunctious son inside of it, with lots of toys for him to play with. Souten screamed at the top of his lungs and wouldn't stop until he was lifted out by his frustrated father. Finally, with the help of Sanosuke and Katsu, Hiten built a four foot high wall around his house with a child-proof gate. Immediately Souten crawled to the fence at full speed and rammed right into it. He quickly went crawling to his mother and once in the safety of her arms, he started crying. Hiten could barely stop laughing. His son had not uttered a peep until he knew he was safe in his mother's arms and then started wailing.

"Oh, poor baby," Serafin said to her son, kissing the small bruise on his forehead. Souten stopped crying and looked up at his mother with serious eyes. Then, as always, he reached for her breast. "Forgot your pain, did you?" she admonished as she undid her blouse for him. For all the trouble that he was, Souten was still much loved by his parents. He loved to be tossed high into the air and caught by his father's strong arms. And he loved to be rocked in his mother's arms while he nursed. And he would watch her with his large red eyes and smile contentedly as she sang lullabies to him. Serafin adored her son even though he was handful. And Hiten loved them both with all his heart.

 **Kenru**

Both Kaoru and Sango were very glad that they had human children each time they heard about the latest bit of mischief Souten had gotten into. Kaoru had started teaching many of the villagers her style of martial arts which was defensive instead of offensive. Hers was "the sword that protects." She had to suspend classes when her pregnancy became too far advanced, but once she had delivered Kenru, she started them up again. And it gave her a chance to get back in shape. Kagome and Sango also joined her class, mostly to get in shape after giving birth, since both of them were very capable on their own and already were accomplished Demon fighters.

Kenshin was more than happy to take care of Kenru during the classes. Kenshin even did the laundry with Kenru strapped to his back. He adored having his daughter around. When his work was done, he would go over to Miroku's and spend time with the monk. Their protector work had been curtailed until the children were older. Miroku wasn't sure if Kagome would even want to resume looking for the crystal shards. They had managed to find only the equivalent to half of the crystal. Kagome would be invaluable in finding them, but it was a lot of ask, not only of her but of Kouga.

In the cool evenings, Kaoru would sit in the beautiful rocker and rock her daughter to sleep in her arms, singing softly to her. Kenshin sat next to them, watching his wife and daughter, a contented smile on his face. He had found the peace that had eluded him for so long.

 **Mirago**

Sango and Miroku now had two children with the addition of Rin. Rin had bonded with Miroku very quickly, for the monk always had a way with children. Sango took a little longer, but soon they were a happy family. Mirago was a wonderful addition and, like Kome, a very quiet, contented baby. Rin loved her new sister and would watch over her and play with Mirago for hours.

Miroku was more than happy to take care of his daughter. At times Sango thought that if her mate could find a way to produce milk, she would be totally unnecessary. At night, at the very first sound she made, Miroku was up and holding her. He carried his daughter to Sango, waiting patiently for Sango to finish nursing, then rocked Mirago back to sleep.

"You are spoiling her rotten!" Sango admonished. But he didn't care. Miroku never actually expected to have a child and she was his miracle. On sunny days, Miroku and Kenshin would take their daughters to the surrounding hills to play. Katsu and Sanosuke often accompanied them. Katsu would sit and sketch the beautiful scenery, while Sanosuke dozed contently in the warm sun. After a while, the babies would fall asleep in their father's arms and Kenshin and Miroku would quietly talk. The two men had become the best of friends. Keiko had brought baby juices from the Human World and Miroku always had a few of these with him in case Mirago or Kenru got hungry. The Human World was filled with wonderful things and Keiko was always bringing something back. One of the most popular items were crayons. They could not bring enough of these. Rin loved to color and always had lots of colorful drawings lying around. Shippo had become good friends with Rin and often joined them on these walks. The two of them would lie on the grass, coloring happily.

 **Two Months Later**

Kagome and Kouga took Kome to meet his grandmother, great-grandfather and his young uncle in the Human World. Kagome's mother immediately fell in love with her grandson. She loved his tiny fangs and pointed ears. And she took about a hundred pictures of him. Kome did not like the flash of the camera at first, but soon got used to it. Kagome reminded her that she could not show them to anyone since her grandson did not look human. But it didn't matter to her, Mikoumi planned to create an picture album for Kome when he grew up.

Kagome found that her old room had been converted for them; it now had a double bed in it and a crib for Kome. There was a mobile of soft birds overhead and Kome was fascinated with it. He could not walk yet, but he could pull himself up and when he was in his crib, he spent all his time trying to get the mobile down. Kagome was glad that he was not Souten, because she was sure that Souten would have shredded it by now! Her mother also gave Kome a teddy bear almost as big as he was and he loved it. He slept with his head on the bear's soft tummy, his little arms wrapped around it.

After a week, they went back home to Otherworld, promising to return in a couple of months. Kagome reminded her mother than Kome would probably be walking by then and a crib would not be a good idea. He would just climb out of it and perhaps fall. At home, his basket was on the floor. Mikoumi sent teddy bears for the other three children. Kagome took the bear to Souten with the expectation that it would last about five minutes, but incredibly he loved the bear as much as Kome did and kept it in his basket to sleep next to. It was the only toy to stay in one piece during Souten's entire childhood.

 **The Birth**

During her stay in Kaede's Village, everything changed for Yukina. She saw first-hand the joy that her contemporaries had giving birth to children of the men that they loved and saw how different it was having their mates helping them. Being a healer, she had witnessed several births by her fellow ice maidens but those births had involved no males. The love and bonding between the couples was incredible. It was obvious that Kouga loved Kagome and the look in his eyes when he watched his son in his mate's arms was indescribable. She decided that she no longer wanted the cold sterile life of Ice World.

Today would be the day! Yukina would tell Touya she wanted to be his mate. She had fallen in love with the handsome, quiet Ice Master and thought that he might love her also. She would tell him her decision during breakfast. After Yukina talked to Touya, they let everyone know their decision and the Princess planned a congratulatory dinner for them. But deep inside she was very worried. She knew that Hiei had pushed Touya on Yukina, but it was for his own selfish reasons. He hated Kuwabara even near Yukina and also wanted to ensure that his sister would stay near him in the Castle. She was his only family, and Touya the Princess was well aware that Touya would do anything to stay here in the Castle and that he did not love Yukina at all. Everyone was making plans for Yukina's life. Now Yukina had fallen in love with Touya and the possibility of heartbreak was very real. She voiced her concerns to Vash, who listened to her, but cautioned that she do nothing. It was out of her hands now. What could she say to either of them? If she told Yukina her fears, she would only hurt her. And Touya already knew the score and had accepted it. She could only hope for the best. Touya would not hurt Yukina if he could in any way help it. Hiei would not forgive him and Touya knew he would not survive Hiei's anger.

That night, alone in their quarters, Yukina broke her Ice World vows, as had her mother, and mated with a male. Touya was very tender with her and her fear quickly evaporated under his gentle touch. For the first time in her life, she lay next to a male, something that only a few months ago she would have never even dreamed possible. Now she was Touya's mate. For Touya's part, even though he did not love Yukina, he was fond the tiny ice maiden and knew how much courage it took to become any man's mate for her. He would always treasure that about her, that she had given up her entire way of life for him.

A week later, Kaede arrived to help with the birth of Aara and Vash's twins. Both Kaiba and Yukina would be on hand also. They were taking no chances. Another factor to consider is that they had no idea how the Princess would give birth, being that she was not human. Since her pregnancy had progressed like a human one, they supposed that it would be the same, but there was always a chance that something unexpected would happen.

At sunset exactly nine months from the date of her conception, Princess Aara had her children. There was no labor pain, no contractions, nothing normal. She simply felt dizzy and lay down on the bed for a few minutes. Vash was downstairs, but suddenly felt an urge to be near his mate and ran up the stairs to their bedroom. Aara was lying on the bed, a bright golden circle of light around her middle.

Suddenly the light divided and became two globes of light and then disappeared. In place of the golden light were two infants, sleeping peacefully, one on each side of her. Vash went to her side and picked one of his daughters up. She looked healthy. Aara did the same with the other child. When they picked up their children, both babies woke up and stared into the eyes of their parents. Their eyes were full of knowledge.

"Well, that was easy!" Aara said, trying to make light of a very strange situation.

Vash smiled at her and nodded. Both children had red-gold hair, a combination of his blond and her red hair, and green-gold eyes. They were identical except that the one Vash was holding had a tiny beauty mark under her left eye exactly like his. "Hello, Ashara." he said to her.

"Welcome to Otherworld, Vara," Aara said to the infant in her arms.


End file.
